Death, or something like it
by wellsbells
Summary: Sheriff Myka Bering lives in a small town in Mississippi. Children are dying in the most horrible way possible, and she has no idea why - until she meets the vampire. The vampire who senses something different about Myka. Suddenly, nothing in Myka's life makes sense, and she faces a battle to save her town from a wave of darkness - from both within and without.
1. Chapter 1

"Sheriff, sorry to wake you, but we got a call. Dead body, on the road at the edge of the woods at the south of town. Sounds like another nasty one."

"Roger that. On my way. Send Pete down to meet me."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The Sheriff pulled herself out of bed wearily, got dressed and went out to her cruiser. She turned on the sirens and lights and made it to the woods in about four minutes, even without rushing. Sometimes even small towns had their benefits.

She got out of the air-conditioned car and felt sweat break out from every pore. The heat and humidity was like a wall, even at 5 in the morning. She wiped off her forehead wearily and put on her hat. She leaned against the car, waiting for Pete to arrive. He pulled up a few minutes later, turning off his siren but leaving the lights whirling. He got out slowly, sweat soaking through his uniform shirt at the neck and back. A buzzing started in her brain. She squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. It never helped, but she always did it anyway.

"Morning, ma'am. Leena said it sounds like a bad one. You been to have a look yet?"

"No. I figured I'd wait for you. Didn't see much point in getting lost."

He nodded. She made a 'go ahead' gesture, shooing him on. They both lifted their torches, and he led them to the edge of the woods, sniffing a little. He always did that, when there was a body. She figured it was some sort of nervous tic. He gestured to the left and they walked on a little before coming across a girl's body.

"Looks to be about 10 or so, wouldn't you say, ma'am?" he asked, dipping his head towards the corpse.

"Yeah," she said, stiffly. "And stop calling me ma'am, will you? It makes me feel like a grandmother."

He shot her legs an appreciative look, but thankfully kept from voicing his thoughts. She was well aware of how her legs looked in the uniform pants. She was also well aware that sweat had soaked almost all the way through her shirt and undershirt. She had foolishly thought, when she moved here, that she'd be able to handle the heat. But it wasn't the heat that got you, it was the humidity.

She looked at the body dispassionately. The neck was ripped open. The flesh was a blue-tinged white, and if she had to guess, she'd say it had been completely drained of blood.

"Vampire," she said, though she didn't need to. Pete nodded.

"The same one as the others, you think?"

He nodded again, chewing thoughtfully on his nicotine gum. He was trying to give up smoking, but this was the fourth day of the gum, and she was pretty sure that she would catch him sneaking a cigarette in the parking lot before breakfast. Just like she had the last three days.

The body was dismembered. Limbs were strewn around with no discernible pattern. The girl's eyes had been removed, probably by hand. She had been eviscerated before she was drained of blood. Whoever had done this – and the other murders - had been frantic. Not like any of the vampires the Sheriff had heard of. They were calm, controlled, and they didn't usually kill. She'd never met one. The buzzing in her head increased to a heavy drone. She turned to her deputy.

"Pete, could you go call the ME and get her down here? And we're gonna need a perimeter to keep people away from this. We don't need any pictures showing up on Facebook or whatever the kids are using these days."

He tipped his hat and bit back the instinctive "Yes, Ma'am," she could see forming on his lips. She lifted an eyebrow. He walked away quickly. Things had not ended well for him the last time that eyebrow went up.

She took off her hat with a sigh and wiped her forehead again. The buzzing in her head muted and she sighed in relief.

"Who did this to you, kid?" she asked, looking at the poor eyeless girl, hands on her hips.

"I might be able to assist you in answering that question, Sheriff."

Her sidearm was out of her holster and in her hand before she could think. One hand holding her torch and supporting the butt of the gun, the other holding the weapon steadily on target. The target – a black haired, pale woman with a rich, honeyed voice. An English accent. In Mississippi.

"Who are you?" she demanded, gun trained on the intruder, who had seemingly appeared from thin air to materialise behind the dead girl.

"Come now, Sheriff. I have only come to offer my assistance. Do you greet everyone this way?"

The Sheriff flushed. She reluctantly returned her gun to the holster. It would do her no good with this woman anyway. Drawing her weapon was an overreaction to not being able to sense the woman.

"My name doesn't matter, particularly. But I can tell you that I have been hunting the…person who committed this murder for some time. She is close. I can help."

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed.

"I think your name does matter, vampire. Since it could have easily been you who killed this girl."

"Perhaps. But it wasn't. I do not need to kill to feed."

She said it simply, and for some reason, the Sheriff believed her.

"Fine," the Sheriff said, surprising herself. And the other woman, whose eyebrow lifted a little.

"So what can you tell me?"

"The vampire involved is a child."

The Sheriff raised an eyebrow.

"A child? I thought…"

"Children are not changed into vampires very often - with very good reason. I cannot tell you the reasons for this one's transformation. But suffice it to say, the tales are true. Children who are changed in this way – they become deranged. I have been hunting this one for a very long time. A…very long time."

The rich voice was tinged with a pain that the Sheriff couldn't pinpoint. Was it grief, guilt? She searched the vampire's eyes, but they were dark and blank. It was somehow…soothing. She took a deep breath and unconsciously relaxed.

The vampire was staring at her.

"You are…different. Are you not?"

The Sheriff tensed again and took an involuntary step backwards.

"I…I don't know what…"

"Ma'am? Dr Calder is on her way. Where do you want the perimeter?" Pete's shout interrupted her dissembling. When she looked back, the vampire was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

"It was the same vampire. Teeth marks match up. It makes sense now, that it's a child. I hadn't even considered it. I was looking into conditions that cause small stature. Where did you get the idea that there might be a child vampire out there? I hadn't even heard that it was possible."

Dr Calder's head was tilted quizzically. Her long blonde hair moved with the motion of the fan that was keeping the air moving, but doing nothing for the unbearable atmosphere.

"Call it a hunch," the sheriff said flatly. The buzzing in her head was almost intolerable. She squeezed the bridge of her nose again.

"Is everything okay, Sheriff? You seem to be having a lot of these headaches. I have a colleague at the University who's a specialist in neurological…"

The Sheriff held her hand up.

"It's nothing, doc. I get them all the time. Nothing to worry about. Let's worry about getting as much information as we can so we can catch this vampire and keep our town safe."

The doctor eyed her doubtfully.

"Are you sure?" she asked, in a quieter voice. She reached out but didn't quite touch the Sheriff's shoulder.

The Sheriff smiled, but it looked like more of a grimace.

"I'm fine, doc."

The doctor watched her leave and shook her head. There was something strange about that woman. She went back behind her desk, turned on her tape recorder and carried on dictating her findings from the poor girl's autopsy.

* * *

"Hey, Sheriff," the young redhead said, bouncing on her heels. "Any news on our latest victim?"

The Sheriff turned and smiled. The youngest recruit to her station always made her smile.

"Claudia. Hey. The doctor thinks the vampire might be a child." It was only a white lie. And Jinks was out on patrol – he couldn't snitch on her.

"A child vampire? Seriously? Like, when did that start happening?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I only heard about them recently myself. I understand that children who are changed become deranged. If we don't catch this one she will kill again. So everyone needs to start carrying their silver restraints until this is resolved. Okay?"

"Sure thing, boss. I'll get everyone equipped."

"Thanks, Claudia."

The Sheriff made her way to her office wearily. As usual, Leena had left a steaming cup of coffee on the desk. How the woman always knew when she was going to arrive was beyond her.

"Sheriff Bering."

Shit.

"Mrs Frederic," she acknowledged the woman calmly, taking a sip of her coffee. She was proud that her hand didn't shake. The first time the woman had appeared she had spilled scalding coffee all over her pants. Her legs had smarted for a week.

"I understand there has been another death. And I understand from Dr Calder that you have made a small amount of progress in identifying the culprit."

"I have. It's not much to go on, but I believe the vampire involved is a child."

She took another mouthful of the coffee. It made the buzzing louder sometimes, but on days like this, she needed it.

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Mrs Frederic's eyes bored into hers.

"I was given some information from an…unexpected source."

Mrs Frederic eyed her. She was a formidable woman, the Mayor. The reflection of the light on her glasses made her eyes almost invisible. She was a terrifying vision in green tweed.

"I see. And did this…source of yours offer any other information?"

"Not much, Ma'am."

Dammit, they had her doing it now too.

"She said that the vampire has been doing this for a long time. We didn't exactly get to finish the conversation."

"Hmm." Mrs Frederic tapped her lip contemplatively. "Interesting."

She stood up abruptly.

"I trust you will let me know of any further developments?"

"Of course, Ma'am."

"And Myka?"

"Yes?"

"Dr Calder is concerned about these 'headaches' of yours. I believe we should deal with your…problem sooner rather than later."

And with that, she was gone. Myka stared after her in confusion. What the hell did she mean by that?

There was a business card on the table. Myka hadn't left it there. That meant…

 _Arthur Nielsen_

 _Attorney at Law_

 _Member of the Cataliades Group_

Curious, Myka searched her memory. The name was familiar. Not Nielsen – Cataliades. She seemed to remember someone of that name calling her father's store once. She'd picked up the phone, she was little. It was a Thursday and she was helping out in the store after school. The voice was strange, deep. She'd called her dad to the phone, and that was the last she'd heard of it.

After a moment's thought, she decided to give in to her curiosity. She picked up the phone on her desk, dialling the number on the business card.

"NielsenAttorneyatLawHowmayIdirectyourcall?" The voice was bored and breathy. Myka had a distinct mental image of a blonde doing her nails while answering the phone.

"Uh, sorry, is this Mr Nielsen's office?" she said, hesitantly.

"Yah. That's what I said."

"Could I speak to Mr Nielsen, please?" Myka said, politely.

"Who may I say is calling?"

If anything, she sounded even more bored. Possibly chewing gum and rolling her eyes.

"Sheriff Bering."

The line went quiet. After a moment there was a loud cough in Myka's ear.

"Hello? Sheriff?"

"Yes, Mr Nielsen. I was given your card."

"Yes. You're Mrs Frederic's case. Come by around five. We'll talk then."

The line went dead. Myka looked at the receiver for a moment incredulously, but when it didn't offer her any insight, she sighed and hung up. Could this day get any weirder?

A few hours later, she had her answer.

"Ma'am?"

She looked up. Steve Jinks was at her office door, grinning widely.

"Yes, Officer Jinks?"

"We got another call. About the panther in the woods?"

She sighed.

"Again? Is it the damn full moon or something? What is with this town?"

He shrugged, grinning even wider.

She stood up. The buzzing in her head was a heavy, thick drone. She couldn't concentrate anyway; she might as well get out of here for a while.

"I'll go. Send the address to my cell."

"Sure thing, Ma'am."

"Steve. Call me Ma'am one more time and you're going to be on permanent patrol with Walter."

He blanched.

"Yes, Sheriff."

She got in her cruiser and drove to the edge of town, close to where the body had been found. There were strange sightings all the time around here. Panthers, tigers, bears. She made a half-hearted effort to look around, but didn't see anything obvious, not even any scat. They would be hearing from the neighbours, she knew, demanding to know what they were going to do about the sightings. But she was tired. 5 am calls could do that to a person.

When she returned to the office, it was almost time for her to go to see Arthur Nielsen. She handed over to a tired Pete Lattimer and drove carefully to find the lawyer's office. She was curious, she had to admit. Mrs Frederic was an oddity in her own right. It was several months after Sam's death when the stately black woman had first appeared in Myka's life, telling her there was an opportunity for her in the South, if she was interested. Myka had politely declined, but the woman had appeared several more times and Myka finally gave in. She had nothing left in Colorado Springs, not after Sam. His death was her fault. She couldn't go back to working with her former colleagues, not knowing that. So she gave in. And now she was going to see a lawyer who had a possible link with someone her dad may have spoken to once, approximately twenty five years ago.

The office was small and grubby, much like the man himself. He shook Myka's hand gruffly and nodded, not quite meeting her gaze. He gestured for her to sit and asked his assistant (who was, Myka noted with some amusement, blonde, popping gum, and rolling her eyes) to get them some coffee. Myka waited until Sally, the blonde, left their drinks behind and closed the door. She took a sip of the surprisingly good coffee and looked at Mr Nielsen, who was muttering to himself and avoiding her gaze.

"So, Mr Nielsen. What am I doing here?"

"I would have thought you could tell me that, Sheriff Bering. We both know I don't need to _tell_ you anything."

Her world screeched to a halt. Did he…

"What do you mean by that, Mr Nielsen?"

He flapped his hand in the air impatiently.

"Call me Artie. And you know exactly what I mean. Without control? The noise must be intolerable – how do you stand it?"

She stared at him.

"Mr Cataliades is my employer. We are…relatives of a sort. You, Sheriff Bering, are a telepath. And it appears that you have somehow managed to block your gift from functioning in any useful manner. I don't know why, and I don't care. But Mrs Frederic sent you to me, so if you want my help, you have it. I can train you to make it easier to focus, to hone and develop your skill so that it is useful and not an intolerable buzz that will one day send you entirely insane. But I cannot do anything unless you want to help yourself."

She stared at him, open mouthed. How did he…?

He looked at her sympathetically, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"You have a distant cousin in Louisiana. She is well known to our…family. She has your gift, and Mr Cataliades is rather heavily involved in her life. He does not have time to assist you, too, or else he would be here. So you are left with me."

He looked at her for another long moment, measuring her, somehow.

"I don't know you, Sheriff Bering. But I do know one thing. Running away very rarely solves anything. And the one thing you can't run away from is yourself."

She walked out without a word.

* * *

She was drunk. Not buzzed, not quietly, sadly drunk in a corner – she was rip-roaring _drunk._ Talking to her dog drunk. Talking to her _beer_ drunk.

"You understand, don't you boy? I can't listen. I can't be a freak. My dad...he told me, he said people would hate me. They'd think I was weird. I tried to block it out. Didn't work, did it? Damn voices still kept talking…"

Her voice was slurred, her eyes bleary. The dog – a stray, who came by every so often to beg for food – looked back at her understandingly. He licked her hand as she reached down unsteadily to pet him.

"Damn Mrs Frederic. What the hell has it got to do with her anyway? S'my head. She doesn't get to say what goes on in my head. I do my job. She hasn't got the right."

The dog whined uncertainly, brown eyes meeting hers.

"It's okay, boy," she said wearily.

"It doesn't look that way from where I'm standing," came a voice from the darkness of the yard. An English accent. The dog stood, growling.

"What do you want?" Myka said, without looking up.

"That's not very nice of you, Sheriff. I believe my information was useful to you. There's no need to be rude."

"Sorry," she said sullenly, sounding not at all sorry.

She picked up the shot glass and poured another measure unsteadily.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? It seems to me that you've had enough."

"What the hell does it have to do with you anyway?" Myka asked, trying to focus through the beer and whiskey haze at the blurry figure of the vampire.

"Very little, I'd imagine. But humans don't usually drink this much unless they're trying to forget something. What are you trying to forget, Sheriff?"

Her voice was silky and cool and suddenly she was a foot away. There wasn't any perceptible movement, she was just there and now…here.

The dog was growling and baring his teeth.

"It's okay, boy. She won't hurt me."

He looked at her uncertainly and whined.

"Lie down, boy."

He turned in a circle and lay down, putting his head on his paws with a sigh.

"Are you sure about that, Sheriff?"

"About what?" she said, confused.

"You told your friend here that I won't hurt you. Why?"

"I assume that if you were going to hurt me, vampire, I'd be dead already."

Myka took a long pull from her beer, looking up at the stars.

"Helena."

"What?" she asked, peering at the white figure in the darkness.

"My name is Helena. Not vampire."

"Fine. Helena."

Through the alcohol haze, Myka found that she liked the way it sounded.

"May I?" the vampire asked, gesturing towards the seat next to Myka. Myka nodded.

They sat in silence. It was real silence, with no buzzing – except for the soft noise coming from the dog. But she could handle that. The silence was beautiful. To sit by someone and not hear their mind buzzing against hers, demanding her attention? Beautiful. She sighed and put her head back against the seat cushion.

The vampire – Helena – said nothing. She was still. There was no noise, not even breathing. It was divine. Myka sighed again and took another long pull from her beer.

After a long silence, two more shots and another beer, she began to speak. She was talking to herself, the vampire could tell.

"I couldn't listen. I couldn't. They left me. I had to stop, so they wouldn't leave me again."

She looked at her arms, where multiple scars marked a pattern on her flesh. Defensive wounds.

"I said I wouldn't do it. Never listen. Never tell. I never did. Never. But if I'd listened? Sam would have lived. I would have known what they were planning. He never…I didn't ever know, if he loved me. I didn't know. It was my fault."

She began to cry – tearing, pained sobs. The bottle fell from her fingers and the beer spilled on the deck. The dog whined and turned away from the liquid seeping into the boards next to him.

Cold arms wrapped around her, held her. There was no noise. She was safe.

"Can I come inside?" the voice murmured.

She nodded into the safety of those arms.

"You have to say it, darling."

"Yes."

Strong, thin arms lifted her up like she weighed nothing, carried her inside. Undressed her, redressed her in soft cotton pyjamas, held her while she cried. She slept in those arms, soft, soothing nonsense words in that cold voice lulling her to sleep.

The next morning she woke with a splitting headache. The light through the shutters was blinding. There was a glass on the nightstand with a note.

 _Sheriff Bering_

 _I hope you are feeling a little better this morning. Please take the pills. I imagine your headache will be rather impressive. Should you ever require my assistance, please call._

 _Helena Wells_

There was a telephone number underneath, and two aspirin. Myka took them gratefully and drank the full glass of water. How much did she drink last night? And how - why was the vampire in her house?

She lay still for a few minutes until the light was more tolerable, then got out of bed. She didn't remember changing into her pyjamas. She shucked them, left them where they fell, and dragged herself into the shower.

After ten minutes under almost scalding hot water, she felt a little better. She grabbed some coffee and made her way to the office, waving lazily at neighbours as she drove by. When she entered the building she was greeted by her least favourite deputy.

"Good morning, Sheriff."

"Walter," she acknowledged, nodding.

The older man was a pain in her ass. Every workplace, she had found, had a Walter. That one person who complained about everything, never did a thing they didn't absolutely have to, and when they did something wrong, it was always someone else's fault. Walter Sykes was smug, useless and pretty much a waste of space. And he was always that little bit too close.

"Sheriff?"

"Yes, Steve?"

"There's been another one. By the creek."

She shook her head. That was four this month. And this month only started ten days ago.

"Come on, Steve. You're with me."

"But…" Walter protested.

Her eyebrow lifted.

"Is there something I can help you with, Officer Sykes?"

He glared at her sullenly.

"No, Ma'am," he spat.

He was always following her, always too close. She'd made the mistake, early on, of allowing him to accompany her in her cruiser to a crime scene. She'd been honestly impressed with the amount of accidental touches he'd managed to contrive - of her breasts, her thighs, her ass. Her own 'accidental' elbow to his face had resulted in a broken nose and four stitches. She'd apologised profusely but all the while had watched him, her eyes flinty. He knew, and she knew, and he hadn't laid a finger on her since, accidentally or otherwise. She'd made sure to assign him a male partner at all times, and had told Pete and Steve to watch and ensure that he was never to be left alone with Leena or Claudia.

Steve followed her and they drove swiftly to the crime scene.

"Who called this one in?" she asked.

"One of the families from the trailer park. They said they'd leave a stick with some cloth on it so it'd be easy to find."

She looked around, eyes narrowed, and saw the white material billowing softly in the thankfully soft breeze.

It was another kid – a boy this time. Same MO, eyes removed, evisceration, exsanguination. Limbs – in the trees, this time. She studied the scene carefully, but saw nothing of note that might lead them to the killer. She turned to ask Steve to set up a perimeter, call the ME, and saw that he was already back at the cruiser, on the radio.

She pulled her cell from her pocket and dialled the number the vampire gave her. She got a messaging service, as expected, since it was daylight and all.

"Helena. This is Sheriff Bering. We found another body. I would appreciate your input. You can call me back on this number."

She hung up and helped Steve to put tape around the area. Mrs Frederic called her a few minutes later, having heard the news in her mysterious way. Myka filled her in and confirmed that she was following up with her source. Mrs Frederic thanked her, and told her to be at Arthur Nielsen's office at 5pm before hanging up.

Damn. The woman had no _right_. Myka squeezed the bridge of her nose, hard, and then went to greet the ME.


	3. Chapter 3

After a fruitless search for witnesses, Myka and Steve went to meet Dr Calder at the morgue.

"I have nothing new to report, Sheriff. Same vampire, same marks, same MO. Whatever did this – it's sick. And it has to be stopped. Did you find out anything more from your source?"

"Not yet," she said, shortly.

"If you get any information that might help, please let me know."

"Sure thing, doc."

Myka got back in her cruiser, Steve shadowing her silently.

"Now we tell the kid's parents," she sighed.

She didn't know how to comfort people. Maybe there was something wrong with her, something missing in her that made it easy for other people and impossible for her. But the wave of red, of buzzing, thrumming pain – it nearly knocked her over. If Steve hadn't been there…but he was. And he never asked why she reacted the way she did. He dealt with the relatives while she stood there, useless set-dressing.

Afterwards, when they were back in the cruiser, she thanked him.

"I thought you were going to pass out for a minute there, boss," he said, eyes crinkled up against the brightness of midday.

"They loved him. So much. That's always harder," she said shortly.

He nodded. She started up the car and they returned to the office.

The afternoon was long and filled with endless paperwork. She tuned out the buzzing as best she could, but by 4.30 her eyes were red-rimmed and her headache was truly a thing of wonder.

She took some aspirin and made her way out slowly, handing over to Pete as usual before obeying orders and going back to Nielsen's office. The blonde didn't even look up, just said, "He's in there," and carried on filing her nails. Myka raised an eyebrow. If any of her staff had seen that face, they would have paled. She continued into the office, knocking before entering.

"Come in."

She went in, taking off her hat and smoothing down a few errant curls. The rest were plastered to her, as was her shirt, as usual. She sat, placing her hat on the table and looking at Arthur evenly.

"So, you came back."

It wasn't a question.

"Did I have a choice?"

That wasn't really a question, either. The little man toddled to the door and yelled for the blonde to fix them some coffee. Once she had reluctantly supplied the beverages, he waited until the door had closed behind her before speaking.

"You smell like whiskey."

"You smell like mothballs," Myka countered.

He glared at her.

"That's as may be, but we're not here about me, are we? You're the one with the problem."

She glared right back.

"I can teach you to control it. To limit what you hear, and to hone your skills so that you can pick one voice out of a crowd. I can help you make it a useful skill rather than a burden. Why wouldn't you want that?" he entreated, looking at her intently.

She looked at the scars on her arms. There were many of them, thin white lines. Even after years, it was still instinct to throw up your arms when someone was about to hit you.

Nielsen was standing behind her, suddenly, and he gently lifted her arm, studying the marks.

"Who?" he asked.

"One of my foster parents."

"They wanted you to stop hearing things?"

"No. They wanted me to keep hearing things, to listen to people so they could steal from them. Credit card numbers, PINs, login details. I wouldn't do it – after a while I couldn't, I blocked it too well."

"Okay."

He sat down, searching in his desk drawer for something. He passed her a business card.

"Go. Call her tomorrow, set up an appointment. She'll send you back to me when you're ready."

She looked at him uncertainly, and then looked at the business card.

 _Abigail Cho_

 _Licensed Psychologist_

"Go. I can't help you, not yet. But I hope I can, soon," he said, shooing her with his hands. But his voice was soft.

She nodded, head down. Picked up her hat and made her way out, slowly. Before she turned the handle, he spoke again.

"If you ever need…to talk, about anything. I'm here, Myka."

She nodded without turning, and left.

By 6.30 she was drunk again.

By 8.30 she was being noisily sick in the bushes by the porch. At 8.40, cool hands soothed her brow.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, darling?" a soft voice asked.

"They're trying to make me listen. I can't listen. It's wrong."

"It's okay, darling, you don't have to listen."

Strong arms lifted her, brought her inside. Gave her cold water and then strong coffee, sat with her silently.

By 10.30 she was moderately sober.

"Why did you help me?" she asked, exhausted.

"You needed help. I was here."

Myka's arm was touching the vampire's. The vampire's skin was cool; she could feel it even through the thin jacket the woman wore. It was soothing. Everything about her was soothing. Myka sighed and put her head on the woman's shoulder. She was exhausted.

At 6.30 am she woke, in her bed, dressed in the same pyjamas from the night before. Once again, there was a note beside the bed, with two aspirin and a glass of water. There were the remains of ice cubes in there; the vampire couldn't have left very long ago.

 _Sheriff_

 _I hope you feel better this morning. I am sorry we did not get a chance to speak last night. You asked if I could help with your investigation. I have very little to tell you, other than this. I believe the killer is being assisted, or perhaps directed, by an older vampire. They are both connected to me, and it is entirely possible that I am the reason for this rampage. To get my attention, or to hurt me by causing others pain. I will ask you to be vigilant. If I am correct, they will hurt you or your colleagues if you get in their way. The child is out of control. The adult is quite different. Calculating, greedy, evil. Please warn your deputies, and arm them, if you are able, with silver._

 _Please keep yourself safe. If you need me, call._

 _Helena_

Myka didn't call Abigail Cho. She went about her duties as always, keeping the station running smoothly. Claudia was looking into procuring silver bullets for the armoury. At 5.30 Myka was getting ready to leave when Mrs Frederic's voice emanated from behind her.

"Sheriff Bering."

She sat back down in her chair.

"You have a telephone number for Dr Cho in your possession. I suggest you use it." Mrs Frederic walked into view, stopping opposite her, one eyebrow raised challengingly.

Myka looked at her curiously.

"What makes you think you have the right to direct my personal life, Mrs Frederic? Last I heard, you were the Mayor, which makes you my boss, but you hold no sway over my private life."

Mrs Frederic looked at her steadily, her gaze penetrating as always.

"That's as may be, Sheriff. But you are not operating at full capacity. You are endangering yourself and others by ignoring your gift. You need to resolve this, to heal. It is time."

Myka thought hard before she spoke again.

"I understand your concern, Mrs Frederic. But I am a good Sheriff. I do my job. Whatever other…abilities I might have are my business. You hired me to be a Sheriff, not a psychic or a circus act."

"I did. I hired a fine officer of the law. Who has been drinking herself into a stupor for the last two nights at the very thought of confronting her fears. Are you really that much of a coward, Myka?"

She smoothed her tweed skirt – grey, today – and turned to the door.

"What you do with that card is, of course, your decision, Sheriff. But if I were you, I would think about the consequences of ignoring this matter any further. There are dark times coming for this town, and we will need you at your best to withstand them. "

She swept out, leaving Myka open mouthed and glaring.

She did not drink that night. At 8.30 she was sitting on her porch sipping coffee.

"Good evening, Sheriff."

"You can call me Myka."

"Very well, Myka. May I?" the vampire said, indicating the seat next to Myka with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Myka nodded. They sat in silence for some time.

"Why did you help me?"

"I told you. You needed my help."

"I wasn't aware that vampires were known for their generosity of spirit."

The vampire looked at her, black eyes drawing her in.

"Perhaps not. I can leave, if you wish."

"No. That's not necessary."

They sat in silence again for a long time. Myka relaxed. The feeling of someone sitting next to her, without the buzz of their noisy thoughts, their every fleeting emotion – it was almost exhilarating. And it made her feel serene, somehow.

"What are you?" the vampire asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Myka asked.

"You are not afraid of me."

"Would it make a difference if I were?" Myka asked, cocking her head slightly.

"It would to me." The vampire was looking down, seeming almost sad.

"If you wanted to hurt me, could I stop you?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then why bother being afraid?" Myka shrugged.

The vampire eyed her curiously.

"You are different, Sheriff Bering."

"I thought I told you to call me Myka?"

The vampire inclined her head.

"My apologies, Myka. But you _are_ different, are you not?"

"Yes."

The vampire waited, but Myka didn't elaborate. Helena began to stand. Myka grabbed her arm gently.

"Please. Don't go. Stay."

"Very well."

After another beat of silence, Myka spoke.

"You said that the vampires – they might be something to do with you."

"Yes."

"How?"

The vampire sighed.

"You ask me this, and you won't even answer a simple question from me?"

"I'm sorry. I just…I don't want to talk about it, not again. Not today."

Helena looked at her, blinking slowly. Her eyes were brown, Myka realised. They were just so dark that they appeared black. Along with her black hair and pale skin, it was striking. She was striking. Beautiful.

"I understand."

She shifted a little in the chair, an unspoken invitation in her posture. Myka relaxed and put her head on the other woman's shoulder, without thinking about it. It just felt right.

"He – the older vampire, that is – is my maker. James MacPherson. Born in London in 1740 or thereabouts. I was in born in 1828. James was a family friend, or so we thought. I don't believe my parents knew that their friend was a vampire, or even that such a thing was possible. He visited us often in London. He was already here in the Americas when we arrived by boat. I don't know how he made the journey safely. It would have involved relying on others, which he does not do very well. Nevertheless, he was here when we arrived. My parents were searching for a new life. London was dirty and smoggy and they were poor. This new country was filled with such promise. They did well, my parents. There is a town named after them in Lowndes County. They established several mills there."

Myka was listening intently. It was so different, listening to her speak. Her accent, her voice. The lack of any noise against her 'other' sense was wonderful.

"I did what girls were supposed to do in those days – I found a husband. William. He was a wonderful boy, and while I suspect he was more interested in the local boys than in me, we produced a child as we were expected to. Our daughter was called Christina. She was around six years old when I decided to take a walk late one night alone. James MacPherson took the opportunity and drained my body of blood, deciding at the last minute to make me a vampire instead of killing me. He wanted a companion. He had been alone for a long time by then."

Myka lifted her head a little.

"And your daughter?"

"William did his best without me. She was looked after adequately. I still had enough humanity left in me that I checked on her periodically."

"Why did MacPherson…?"

"Drain me? Or turn me?"

Myka shrugged.

"Either."

"Well, the first is easy. He was hungry. The population was much less dense then and people tended to stay indoors at night in groups. It was difficult to single out prey. Nowadays it's much easier. People get so drunk, it's easy to get enough blood without killing. Back then it was not so easy to find prey."

"And the second?"

"I couldn't honestly say. He was lonely. Or bored? Or perhaps he just wanted me, I don't know."

"He made you…?"

"Oh Myka, he didn't _make_ me do anything. I was a vampire. In the first few years, at least, we are nothing but a vicious ball of appetites. I killed humans indiscriminately until I learned control. And a vampire's sexual appetite is almost as strong as the appetite for blood."

Myka met her gaze evenly. Helena's pupils were so dilated that the brown of the iris was almost invisible.

"And the child vampire? How does she know you?"

"I would rather not go into detail concerning her. But suffice it to say, I did her a great evil once. And I deserve her vengeance. You and your town's children do not, which is why I am here. She should be unable to kill people in this way without leaving an easy trail for me to follow. That is why I realised there must be someone else involved. James is the most likely candidate. He is evil and spiteful, and has never forgiven me for leaving him."

"Are there any other candidates?" Myka asked, resting her head on the vampire's shoulder again.

"Yes. Many. I have been alive for a very long time, Myka. One does not live for nearly two centuries as a vampire without acquiring a few enemies."

Cold was radiating from her.

"What is it like? Drinking from a human, I mean?" Myka blurted.

"The feeling of feeding from a human – it is indescribable."

Her voice was rich and dark and cold. Myka shivered.

"I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?" Helena asked, her dark eyes unreadable.

She moved away, turning her body slightly to face Myka.

"No." Myka stared at the vampire, her skin tingling. The vampire stared back, searching the sheriff's eyes.

"You are so very different. I hope I shall find out just how different," she murmured.

"So do I," Myka said, somewhat breathlessly.

There was a noise, a quiet 'snick'. The vampire's fangs extended.

Myka reached out, without conscious thought. Helena's hand shot up and caught her wrist. It was like being held in a vice.

"What are you doing?" Helena said, sounding almost panicked.

"I…wanted to see what they feel like," Myka said, confused.

"You wanted to touch my bloody _fangs_?" She was incredulous, and the expression looked somehow absurd on her face with her fangs extended. Myka just barely resisted the urge to laugh.

"Yes. Did I do something wrong?" she managed.

Helena stared.

"Do you know, Myka, why my fangs extended?"

"I assumed you were hungry," Myka said, shrugging.

"And yet, you were not concerned?"

"No."

Helena searched her eyes, looking for some indication of fear, presumably.

"You truly do not fear me."

Myka shook her head.

"How can I? You're so…calm."

Helena released her wrist. Myka extended her arm carefully, and when Helena did not object, she touched the edge of a fang curiously.

"It's so sharp. What happens, when you bite someone? Is it – does the blood go through the fangs, somehow? Or do you bite to open the vein and then drink?"

Helena looked at her for a moment curiously.

"We bite, and we drink. The blood does not go through our fangs."

Myka nodded and then shifted, putting her head back on Helena's shoulder.

"You are truly the strangest human I have ever met, Myka."

"Is that so?" she asked, wearily.

"It is."

A few moments later, she spoke again.

"Our fangs do not only extend when we are hungry."

Myka thought for a moment. Why else would they extend? Fear?

"Why, then?"

"You really can't think of any other reason? Any other kind of hunger?"

Her voice was husky and dark and cold. But it was calm and still and Myka craved it.

"Oh."

She didn't move, but she could feel her heart pounding. She knew the vampire must be able to hear it.

"Are you frightened now?" Helena asked, her lips close to Myka's ear.

"No."

"Good."

If she turned her head, Myka knew, she would be able to touch the vampire's cool lips with her own. To know what those fangs felt like against her own lips. How they tasted. Her breath came a little faster.

"I should go."

Myka blinked.

"Why?"

Helena sat up, turning again to look at Myka.

"I need to feed. I do not want to…do something you might regret, in my hunger."

Myka studied her face, trying to commit it to memory.

"Will you come back?"

"Do you want me to?" Helena asked, curiously.

"Yes," Myka stated simply.

"Why?"

"You make me feel…calm, and still. It's nice."

Helena eyed her uncertainly.

"Very well, Myka. Good night."

She was gone before Myka could blink. She sat there for a few minutes more, and then went inside to get some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Myka's first call the following morning was to Abigail Cho's office. She made an appointment for later that day. As soon as she hung up, there was a knock at the door.

"Sheriff?"

"Yes, Claudia."

"Can I…do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Come in, close the door."

Claudia sat down in the chair facing hers across the desk, squirming uncomfortably.

"What is it?" Myka asked, quietly.

"It's about Walter."

Myka sighed. She could practically feel her blood pressure rising.

"What did he do? Did he touch you?"

Claudia shook her head.

"No. Nothing like that."

"Then what?"

Claudia fidgeted.

"He's been saying stuff about you. Pete overheard him talking to one of the part time guys – Marcus? He has been saying all this…sex stuff. But he also said that you need taking down a peg or two, that a woman shouldn't be doing a job like this. Pete thinks you need to look out for yourself."

"I see," Myka said, steepling her fingers together as she leaned her elbows on the desk. "And why didn't Pete tell me this himself?"

Claudia reddened.

"I think…he didn't want to talk to you about the sex stuff. He was embarrassed."

Myka nodded.

"Fair enough. And what do you think, Claudia? Do you think I should be worried?"

"Well, Ma'am…"

Myka glared at her.

"Sorry, Sheriff. There were some stories about Walter when he was younger. Not very nice stories, about girls. But nothing ever came of it. He was never charged with anything."

"So you think I should be concerned?"

Claudia nodded, her eyes downcast.

"Okay, Claudia. Thank you for telling me. And pass my thanks on to Pete. I'll take some precautions."

"Sure thing, Sheriff. We would hate it if something were to happen to you. You're the best thing to happen to this place for a long time."

"Thank you," Myka said softly.

When the girl left, Myka put her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do about one of her own deputies threatening her? Get him to arrest himself? She shook her head against the incessant buzzing of so many minds. Maybe it was time for her to get this thing under control. It would certainly help in identifying threats like Walter Sykes before they got out of control. She put it out of her mind after making a mental note to take some precautions at home, just in case.

Later that afternoon, she made her way somewhat reluctantly to her appointment with Dr Cho. The doctor's office was in the next town over. She drove in a half-daze, her mind churning. She didn't know what to expect from this appointment, and she was off her game, unbalanced, following her conversation with the vampire the night before. And the conversation with Claudia. She knew Walter Sykes was a creep, but was he really an actual threat? Would he try to hurt her?

The doctor's office was on a quiet road in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere around here was technically the middle of nowhere, but this was more so than most. Surrounded by trees and dry grass, it was set back from the road. Myka got out of the car, glad of the breeze that made the heat a little more bearable.

She opened the door and blinked to let her eyes adjust to the dark interior.

"Sheriff Bering, welcome."

It was the same voice from the other end of the phone, when she'd made the appointment. The doctor answered her own phone?

"Don't be so surprised, Sheriff. I might be the only psychologist for miles, but this is Mississippi. People don't came to get their heads shrunk often. Business is slow," the doctor said with a rueful smile.

She was small and dainty, this doctor. Myka observed her silently for a moment.

"Come in. Let me get you some coffee."

Myka nodded. She realised belatedly that she was still wearing her hat, so she took it off and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. She felt way too tall next to this woman.

The therapist gestured for Myka to go through the door ahead of her. She sat down in one of the chairs, looking around her silently. Everything was shades of beige. It was supposed to be soothing, she guessed. But it didn't soothe her. She thought, involuntarily, about the vampire's quiet presence.

"So, Myka. Mrs Frederic sent you to me, huh?" Dr Cho smiled.

Myka nodded.

"Do you find her completely terrifying, or is that just me?" Dr Cho asked.

Myka smiled wryly.

"I would say you're not alone in that reaction. My first week, I spilled a full cup of coffee on my pants because she scared the bejesus out of me. I had to sit there the whole time she was talking and pretend I was fine while my legs felt like they were on fire."

Dr Cho laughed.

"She does have a way of showing up when you least expect her, right?"

Myka nodded, smiling.

"So, she sent you to me. Do you know why?"

"I think so. Do you?" Myka countered.

"I do."

"Do you believe it?"

"What? That you're a telepath? I've seen stranger things, believe it or not."

Myka studied her carefully for a moment.

"Okay."

"I understand that you have some issues surrounding this ability."

Myka nodded, her face tight. Her fists clenched spasmodically.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not really," Myka said, her jaw tense.

"Okay. I guess this is going to be difficult for you, so why don't you take a moment, drink some coffee. Take a breath. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm here to help, okay?"

Myka nodded. She sipped her coffee, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Again, she thought of the vampire's cold presence, the stillness that surrounded Helena. It helped Myka to calm herself, to find some sort of balance inside the chaos, to quiet the buzzing a little.

"You…you just went somewhere that made you calm. Where was that?" Dr Cho asked, curiously.

"Are you reporting everything back to Mrs Frederic, Dr Cho?" Myka asked.

"No. Only things that might harm you or others. And please, call me Abigail."

"Okay then. I was thinking about someone I met. A vampire. I can't hear them."

"You can't hear what they're thinking?"

Myka nodded.

"Why does that make you feel calm, Myka?"

"Because I don't have to worry about whether I might hear something."

"So because you can't read the vampire's mind, you feel calm around her?"

"Yes. I…feel different, when she's there. She is calm and so still. There's no noise. I can just…be."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah. It is."

"Is she a danger to you, this vampire?"

"No. She's helping with an investigation. She didn't have to help. I don't think she has any ulterior motives."

"Okay. Then there's no need for me to mention it to Mrs Frederic or anyone else. What I'd like you to do, if you are feeling too tense when we talk, is to think about that stillness, how you feel when you're with the vampire. Can you do that?"

Myka nodded.

"So why do you worry about using this ability?"

Myka looked at her hands.

"Well, first of all, it was my dad. He believed me, but he said people would think I was crazy. I told him that a man in the bookstore liked him."

"Liked him…what, sexually, you mean?"

"Yeah, although I didn't know that at the time – I was only 7. I just heard him say that my dad's ass was nice. So I told my dad, quietly. I wasn't allowed to say ass, so I spelt it out. He stared at me, for the longest time. And then he told me to go upstairs. When the store closed, he came up and asked me why I said that. I told him that the man said it in his head."

Abigail nodded, silently urging her to continue.

"He tried to make me stop hearing voices. But I was a kid, I didn't understand. My parents abandoned me when I was 12 years old. They called a social worker or someone, I guess, and gave me up for adoption. I don't really know how it worked, but one minute I was in the apartment above the bookstore, and the next, I was being taken away by this nice lady who was talking in her head the whole time about how much of an asshole my dad was, and how I seemed like such a nice kid, how could they just abandon me like that. Anyway, I was placed with a foster family, and I can't really remember how it happened, but the dad – he worked out what I could do. He made me – he made me listen to people's thoughts, their secrets. Their bank details, the PIN for their card, the combination for their safe. The first time I said no, he busted up my face, broke a few ribs and my arm. He blamed the injuries on a fall downstairs. After that, I did it a few times, just out of fear. I told him people's secrets, where their money was hidden or whatever. After a while, though, I realised that it was pointless to do what he said. It was hurting other people and it didn't matter whether I did what he wanted or not; when he got money from someone, he got drunk and beat the crap out of me anyway. So I started refusing, and I swore to myself that I would never listen again. I made this little room in my brain, I imagined myself inside it. I told myself that it was soundproofed, so I couldn't hear anything. After a few months, all I could hear was buzzing. I could still feel the emotions, but not hear the words. He had a few near-misses with social services after that, but then he learned to always hit where it could be hidden under long sleeves or whatever. He had this belt, and he had this way of flicking it so it always cut into my skin." Her voice was toneless, dull, as she continued. "Thankfully, a few years later there was a new social worker who was more vigilant, and she eventually moved me to another place. They were the Secords – Jack and Rebecca. I stayed with them and they adopted me, eventually."

"Did you ever tell them about your ability?" Abigail asked softly.

Myka traced the scar on her right arm with her left thumb.

"No. I wanted to stay with them. I thought if they found out, they would send me back."

Myka looked at her shoes, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"So, what happened from then on? How did you end up here?"

Myka pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.

"You know, Dr Cho, I think I'd like to go now. This has been…a little too much talking for one day."

Dr Cho tilted her head sympathetically.

"Sure, Myka. Same time Monday?"

"Okay. Is this covered under my insurance, or…"

"Don't worry about it. Mrs Frederic is taking care of it."

"Fine. Thank you, Dr Cho."

"Take care, Myka."

She drove home in a haze. Memories that she had been trying to suppress were bubbling back up, threatening to break through the walls she'd so carefully constructed. Her father's words, her foster father's fists. The moment she had been adopted, and the fear that they would find out and send her back.

She made some food that she barely tasted, and went to sit on the back porch, swaying back and forth gently on the swing. Her stray dog friend came along after a while and sat in front of her silently. When the sun went down, she waited.

"Good evening, Sheriff."

Myka inclined her head slightly.

"May I?"

"Sure."

The silence was long and full and delicious. Myka lent her head back and closed her eyes. After a while, she found that she was crying, and she opened her eyes to look at the stars. They blurred together through her tears. The relief of the quiet, it seemed, was too much for her after the day she had endured. The vampire turned to her, but said nothing. She simply lifted Myka into her lap, wrapping her in strong arms. Myka buried her face in the vampire's neck, the cool skin pleasant against her hot cheeks. After a while, she felt the throat vibrate against her as the vampire spoke.

"Do you want to talk?"

She nodded. The vampire set her down and told her to wait. She came back with some hot tea (camomile) and a wet cloth. She wiped Myka's face gently, cleaning away the tear stains and soothing her headache.

"I can hear people's thoughts," Myka said into the silence.

"Can you hear mine?" the vampire asked, curiously.

"No."

"Then why are you not afraid of me? You can hear other human's thoughts, which means you can anticipate their actions. You cannot anticipate mine," Helena said after a moment of thought.

"I don't know. But I'm not afraid. Do you want me to be scared of you?"

"No," she said, in her cold, rich voice. Myka's resultant shiver had nothing to do with fear.

Helena spoke after another moment of silence.

"You must never tell another vampire about this ability, Myka. They will kill you without thought, without remorse, if they think there is even a chance that you might be able to hear their thoughts – or worse, they will try to use your ability for their own ends, regardless of your own wishes."

"Thanks for the warning, Helena, but my ability actually doesn't work – or at least not really. I blocked it when I was younger and I don't know how to fix it."

Myka talked. She told the vampire of her abandonment by her parents, of the countless beatings from her foster father. She told her about the block she'd put on her own ability, the ceaseless noise that she lived with, the fear of being abandoned again that led her to always hide who she was. She told the vampire all about the shame and the sadness of her young life.

"And Sam? Who was he?"

Myka looked at her, this creature who had listened to her without a word for hours, and wondered why she was so interesting to an immortal being.

"He was my partner. I worked really, really hard at school, then I joined the police force. I made detective quickly. My ability – it would have been invaluable, I guess. But I couldn't use it. I did well - I'm pretty smart and I worked hard. Sam was a rookie, and he was partnered with me as soon as he made detective. We worked well together. He worked more on instinct, I worked on detail, evidence. We came up against this organised crime gang. They were working the local high rollers, a mixture of cons and robberies. Sam tried to infiltrate them. He thought he was in. He called me, and I met him for a drink. We were seeing each other, for a while. Some of the gang – they saw us while we were out together, so he introduced me to some of them as his girlfriend. If my ability had been working, I could have listened then. If I had, I would have known. They knew who he was and they were planning to kill him. And because I didn't – because I blocked my gift, that's exactly what they did. Shot him in the back of the head and dumped him out by Bear Creek. I left the force straight after. Everyone thought it was because of Sam dying, but it wasn't. Not like that, anyway. I could have saved his life, Helena. I let him die because my damn parents abandoned me and that broke me so badly that I can barely function."

The vampire stroked her hair soothingly, her cool fingers touching Myka's scalp and making her shiver.

"You were not to blame. You have an ability that is inborn. You did not choose it. Your parents were fools. Your partner's death was unfortunate, but it was no more your fault than my becoming a vampire was mine. They were both incidents that were beyond our control. You are not to blame."

"But I could have saved him, Helena," Myka almost whined, her headache lessening under the vampire's ministrations.

"Perhaps. But your ability does not guarantee that you will hear what you need to hear, does it?" Myka shook her head.

"You hear what a person is thinking at that time, is that correct?" At Myka's nod, she continued. "So it is not necessarily true that any of those criminals would have been thinking about killing your partner at that exact time when you, Myka, were listening, is it?"

Myka frowned. She hadn't thought of it that way.

"I suppose not. But I blocked my gift, Helena. I'll never know."

"No. You will never know. But what you do know is this; your parents abandoned you because of your gift. As a result of that abandonment and your foster father's abuse, you blocked the ability over time, so that you wouldn't be abandoned again, a perfectly understandable reaction from a child. If your ability had been working, and these gang members had thought the right thing at the right time, allowing you to become aware of their plans, then Sam's death would not have occurred. It was, therefore, the fault of the people who stopped you from using your ability. That is, your parents and your foster parents. Had they allowed you to grow up a happy and healthy individual, as they should have done, it is likely that you would have used your gift and it would have then been available to you when you met Sam's killers."

Myka thought for a long moment. She had been beating herself up over Sam's death for such a long time. Could the vampire be right? Was it her parent's fault? Had they never abandoned her, it was true that she would probably have simply continued listening to the voices around her, and she might have been able to save Sam's life.

"I…that kind of makes sense," she said, finally. Helena's hands were still in her hair, playing idly with the curls and scratching lightly at her scalp. Myka's headache was almost gone.

"Yes," Helena agreed.

After some more blissful silence, she spoke again.

"My daughter had curls. Not like these. Ringlets, I suppose you would call them. It would be straight until it reached a certain length, then it would curl up. It was beautiful."

"Did she look like you?"

"Yes."

"She must have been beautiful."

The hands paused.

"You think I'm beautiful?"

Myka took a breath.

"Yes."

The hands resumed their movement. Myka relaxed again.

"So you have an ability to hear thoughts. More of a disability, now, since it does not function and in fact causes you only difficulty. That is part of why you are different. But there is something else about you."

The cool fingers brushed the nape of her neck. Myka shivered.

"Something else? Like what?"

The vampire paused for a moment.

"I don't know."

She sounded frustrated.

"What makes you think there is anything else that's different about me?"

The vampire considered, turning her body to look at Myka. Her gaze swept Myka's body, pausing at her long throat.

"You should be frightened. Humans are always frightened of what they do not understand. And you, who can understand so much more about your own people, should be more frightened of one whose thoughts you cannot hear. And yet you are…fascinated. You wanted to touch my fangs, instead of recoiling from them. You are interested in me, without guile, without fear. And you smell…"

Her fangs extended, and she turned her head away.

"I apologise. I did not mean…"

"It's okay," Myka said, touching her hand gently. "Tell me."

Helena turned her head to search Myka's eyes.

"You…humans. You have a scent, unique to each of you. But yours is different. It is wonderful," her voice trembled on the last word.

"Thank you. I'm not sure what it means, exactly, but I'm glad you find it appealing," Myka said lightly.

She thought for a moment, taking a moment to enjoy just looking at the other woman.

"You don't consider yourself human, then?"

"I have not been human for a long time. Well over a century. Vampires have very little in common with the human race."

"Why do you say that?"

"We are predators, Myka. We are separate from you. You are our prey."

"We are predators too, Helena. Ask the other species on the planet."

"You make a good point. But you are our prey. They are yours. You do not consider a cow to be your equal, do you?"

"Are you comparing me to a cow?" Myka said, her eyebrow lifting.

Helena winced a little.

"Perhaps that was a hasty analogy. We – the vampires - are different, that is all I am saying. We have no natural predators."

"I guess it must have been hard. To live outside humanity for so long. Are you lonely?" Myka blurted, without thinking.

Helena turned away.

"Yes," she said stiffly.

"I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me," Myka said, aghast.

"I should go."

"You don't have to. I really am sorry."

"I know. Goodnight, Myka."

Before Myka could say anything else, or move, or breathe, she was gone. Myka sat back, regretting her thoughtless words. Of course Helena would be lonely. She was lonely, and wonderful, and she was the only person Myka wanted to spend any time with, and now she'd gone and spoiled it with her stupidity.

Myka sat still, staring out into the dark. She thought about her conversation with the psychologist, and her conversation with Helena. Oddly, it was what Helena said that made her feel better. Her family had started this by abandoning her because she was different, and her foster parents had made matters worse. In doing so they had collectively caused her to block her ability. Sam's death wasn't her fault. The thought was so freeing that she relaxed enough to fall asleep right there on the porch.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a combination of things that woke her. First, the buzzing, increasing slowly. There was no-one living near her house; that was why she'd chosen it. She shouldn't be hearing anything. Her sluggish brain refused to wake properly, however, until she heard the dog barking.

Her eyes opened. She was on the porch, and the stray was in front of her, barking at the darkness. She could feel them out there, she just couldn't see them. Her weapon was inside, along with her pepper spray, on her belt. She started to move towards the door to grab them when she heard the unmistakeable noise of a gun being cocked.

"Stay right where you are, Sheriff."

She knew the voice, but she couldn't place it. Then he stepped out of the darkness. Marcus Diamond, one of the part-time deputies.

"What do you want, Diamond? And why the hell have you pulled a gun on me?" she demanded.

He smiled, an ugly, slimy thing that looked like it could just slide right off his face. Then Walter Sykes stepped out of the darkness behind him.

"Hello, Sheriff."

"Walter," she said, calmly. But she felt anything but calm. She should have listened to Claudia.

"My buddy Marcus and I have been talking, and we decided it was time we had a little chat with you," he drawled. She couldn't hear his thoughts but she could feel the emotions that accompanied them. They were pulsing, black and red and greasy, and it made her feel ill just to be near him. Marcus' mind was different – cold, calculating with an odd overtone of red heat that she didn't understand.

"Yeah? And why is that?" she asked, hoping for more time, for someone to come by, maybe. Then she realised how stupid that was. She chose this house because there was no-one nearby. And no-one had ever come by apart from the stray dog who was in front of her, growling, and the vampire.

"Well, we have been talking about how Mrs Frederic hired an out-of-towner like you as Sheriff, instead of hiring someone better qualified, someone who knows this town, who's been here for a long time."

"Someone like you?" she asked, her voice calm.

"Yes, someone like me. Not some uppity bitch who thinks she's better than us!" he snarled, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Well, that sounds like something you ought to take up with Mrs Frederic. After all, she hired me," she said, conversationally. Her mind, however, was racing. She didn't need to read his mind to know what he had planned for her.

"Yes, I think that we might just do that, once we've finished with you," he said, threateningly.

"And what is it, exactly, that you hope to accomplish here, Walter? I couldn't give you my job even if I wanted to."

"It's not just about the job, Sheriff. I owe you. You broke my nose."

"You deserved that, Walter. You couldn't keep your hands to yourself," she said, warningly. She remembered, suddenly, that her cell was in her back pocket. She was trying to remember how the thing worked, if there was a way to make a call without attracting their attention.

"Well, now I don't have to."

He started walking towards her, his tall companion silent next to him. She put her hand in her back pocket and pressed the call button a few times, remembering that it would dial the last number she'd called. She couldn't recall, just then, the last time she'd used it. Maybe it would call someone useful. Or maybe she was about to get raped and murdered. It didn't seem like there was much she could do about it, either way.

The dog started barking more and more loudly. She tried to shoo him away, but he was set on defending her. She watched helplessly as he jumped at Walter. Marcus shot the stray in the chest without changing expression, and the dog fell to the ground with a yelp that trailed off into a whine. Tears blinded her. He was just a sweet dog, trying to help her.

Walter reached the porch.

"You could save yourself a lot of trouble, Sheriff, and just give in. Who knows, you might enjoy it," he said, smiling arrogantly.

She stood where she was, giving him a level look. He came closer and she twisted away. He tried to grab her and she turned, snapping her elbow back, hitting him in the face.

"You broke my fucking nose again, you bitch!"

She was surprised by the vengeful glee that filled her at that statement. But it didn't last, because Marcus had reached her and he didn't give her a chance to defend herself. He hit her hard, the butt of his gun coming down on the side of her face. Something snapped – her cheekbone, she thought, idly. Her mind was oddly detached, probably from the force of the blow. When she fell to the ground on her side, he started kicking her. His first few kicks were to her body, and she distinctly felt ribs break. Something in her abdomen felt wrong, too. He kicked her in the jaw, then the throat, and her breathing started to come in a harsh gurgle. He must have been wearing steel toed boots. She was pretty sure her jaw was broken. She was also pretty sure she was starting to drown in her own blood.

Walter had recovered enough from his broken nose to grab her, turn her on her back and was now attempting to remove her pants. The pain he caused by moving her body alone made her vision dim at the edges. She couldn't move, but something caught her eye. The dog – his body – it was shimmering, glowing slightly in the darkness. It turned into the naked and bleeding body of Pete Lattimer. She figured she was hallucinating, and hoped that it meant she was going to die now, before Walter got his kicks. She closed her eyes.

There were noises, suddenly; cracking and splintering, wet noises. Then she was being cradled gently in strong, thin arms. She tried to cry out - the pain was indescribable, but she could only cough wetly as the vampire moved her. Her broken ribs scraped painfully against each other. She couldn't breathe. Then there was a strange taste in her mouth – metallic, dark, cool. She swallowed convulsively once, then again. It made her feel better. She could breathe again. She swallowed again. Her chest didn't hurt so much anymore. The wheezing quietened and stilled.

She was vaguely aware of water on her skin, then she was laid gently on her bed, wearing pyjamas that she didn't remember putting on. When she tried to speak, a cool voice told her to rest. It went away for a while, the voice, and she whimpered quietly at the loss. Then it was back, and she was content again, in the stillness. The arms cradled her and the voice soothed her.

"I am so sorry I left you, my darling. You are safe now."

She was safe. She slept. She slept in the arms of death, and it cradled her like she was precious.

The next morning she woke late. It was almost noon. Thankfully, it was Saturday, and Steve was on duty at the station. She didn't remember, for a moment, what had happened the night before. She felt well, and rested. Strong. Then the memory of what had happened returned to her in a rush. She was dying, and then she was in her bed. And a dog, that turned into Pete Lattimer? That had to have been a hallucination. She ran to the back yard, but it was empty. There was no blood, no bodies. The deck was scrubbed clean. Much cleaner than it had ever been.

She returned to her bedroom and found another note.

 _Sheriff_

 _I do not know how much you remember of the events of last night. Please do not call your station or make any reports for now. Please first call your colleague Peter. He will be able to tell you what happened, and answer your questions. I will be with you as soon as the sun sets._

 _Yours_

 _Helena_

Helena's words made her feel better, suddenly. She remembered how peaceful she felt the night before – at least, before she had driven the woman away with her thoughtless comment. She couldn't make her fragmented memory of the night before into any sensible sort of narrative. She decided to take Helena's advice. She called Pete Lattimer.

"Sheriff." He sounded cautious, unsure.

"Pete. I…do you know what happened last night?"

There was a pause.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

The line went dead.

He was as good as his word. He knocked quietly and she let him in, gesturing for him to sit down. His brain was buzzing against hers. She'd never seen him in any context other than at work. He looked strange in her house, too big, somehow. He was wearing jeans and a loose t-shirt with the logo from some sci-fi show on it. She was still in her pyjamas. Normally, that would have bothered her, being so vulnerable in front of one of her deputies, but she was too confused right then to care.

"Pete. Why do I have a note asking me to call you?"

He was sitting on the couch, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. He looked uncomfortable.

"How much do you remember, Sheriff?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.

"I was sleeping on the porch, and Marcus Diamond and Walter Sykes came out of the woods behind the house. They pulled a gun on me. There was a stray dog – he comes around sometimes, and he tried to defend me. Marcus shot him. I broke Walter's nose, and then Marcus beat the crap out of me. I think…I think I was dying. Walter was going to rape me, he was pulling down my pants. Then I saw something strange, but I guess it was a hallucination. And after that, I don't remember anything."

Her tone was flat, dispassionate. Like when she was describing a crime scene on the stand. Or talking about her father. Pete winced more than once during her emotionless recitation of her memories.

"So that's what I remember. Now, tell me. What do you have to do with all this? Why was I told to ask you?"

She looked at him closely, and after a moment, he met her eyes.

"What you saw, Sheriff. It wasn't a hallucination. It was…me. I was the dog. I'm a shifter; I can become any animal I want. I know it's kind of hard to believe, but I can show you if you want."

She narrowed her eyes and nodded. He stood up and turned his back, stripping his clothes off swiftly. As is had the night before, his body glowed hazily and his outline became liquid. After a moment, her stray dog was sitting in his place.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. This…this was just too weird. Said the telepath who had spent the last three nights talking to a vampire. She shook her head wonderingly.

"Okay, so you're a shifter. Are you the reason I keep getting called to the woods for panther and bear sightings?"

The dog looked at her and whined. He made an unmistakeably human gesture then, shaking his head.

"Are there others like you?"

He whined again. She took that to mean that he didn't know.

"You can switch back now, if you want. I'm going to make some coffee."

She went to her small kitchen and busied herself with the small ritual of making coffee. The machine was probably a hundred years old, but it made good coffee. After a moment, she felt Pete Lattimer's thoughts return. They were different when he was in his dog form, smaller. She wondered idly if his thought patterns changed depending on what animal he became. His mind glowed redly. It always had, she'd just never noticed it before. That must be what shifter minds felt like. Strangely warm. She felt like she should be remembering something about a mind like Pete's, but it was all distant, like she was seeing it through a haze.

She poured two cups of coffee, fixing them with creamer and sugar. She knew how Pete took his coffee; that sort of detail was always important when you worked with someone.

She brought in the coffee and handed it to him wordlessly. He looked tired, more drained than he was when he arrived.

"Does it take a lot of energy to change?" she asked, sitting down and taking a sip of her coffee.

He looked up at her, his eyes dark and worried.

"Yes. It makes me tired, to do it twice in a short time, like that. I try not to shift too often unless I have to. But I figured you'd need to see it."

She nodded. She wouldn't have believed otherwise, even after seeing it last night. It was too easy to write off as a hallucination.

"So you're my stray dog."

He winced at that.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't spying on you or anything. I just wanted to keep you safe. Mrs Frederic asked me to watch over you. She was worried that something was going to happen."

Myka lifted an eyebrow at that.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Someone she knows, they have a gift. They can see stuff that might happen, sometimes."

"Precognition?"

He shrugged.

"I guess. But it seems like they were right this time. You would have died last night, if…" He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.

"If?"

"You really don't remember?"

"I really don't. What I do remember is that you were shot, and I was beaten badly. I thought I was going to die. I don't understand how we're sitting here now."

He studied her carefully.

"Your friend. The vampire."

"Helena?"

"Yeah. She said you called her phone, and she heard them threatening you, heard them hit you. It took her a while to get here. She was pretty far away – she was beating herself up about that, about leaving you. But she…when she got here, she took care of Marcus and Walter, and she gave you her blood. Vampire blood heals."

Myka gaped. Helena saved them?

"She gave some to me – only a little, though. Shifters heal fast. But I would have died without her help. She took me home and told me she was going to clean up the mess and look after you. And that's all I know."

"What did she do? With Walter and Marcus?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, his lips pulling back from his teeth a little in a snarl.

"She killed them both, before I could even blink. Drained them. They deserved it, Sheriff. What they were going to do to you – they deserved it. I shouldn't have let them get so close. I should have killed them myself."

He was gritting his teeth, and clenching his fists. He looked almost like he might cry.

"It's not our job to kill people, Pete. If I could, I would have arrested them both. But I couldn't. And I won't say I'm happy they're dead, but I'm happy we're not. Helena did what she had to, I guess. I just wish it hadn't been necessary."

She took a sip of her coffee, trying to absorb what had happened. Helena had saved them. Helena had killed Walter and Marcus. Myka was pretty sure that she should be arresting Helena, in the circumstances. It was in defence of her life and Pete's, sure, but it was still murder. Helena was so strong and moved so quickly that she could have knocked the men out or tied them up rather than killing them. But the thought of Helena imprisoned, even for a night, was painful, somehow. Myka couldn't stand the thought of the vampire locked up in the special cell they had rigged up with silver bars.

"So, what now?" she asked, turning her eyes on Pete once again.

He shrugged.

"We get on with our lives, I guess. I hope…you'll keep my secret, right?" he asked, pleading.

"Of course. That's your business, Pete. But I'll thank you to keep your paws out of my home, from now on. Did you…you didn't see me naked or anything, when you were a dog, did you? Because that would be seriously creepy of you."

He shook his head vehemently, blushing.

"No way, Sheriff. I would never do something like that. I was just keeping an eye on you, like Mrs F said."

She looked at him for a long moment and then nodded.

"And what about Walter and Marcus? Someone is going to notice they're gone. And that someone will have to be me, because I'm their boss."

He shifted uncomfortably.

"I guess you should wait to speak to the vampire, Ma'am. She probably has her ways of covering these things up."

She nodded absently. She would have to wait until sunset. She sat back and drained the rest of her coffee, closing her eyes. She felt so strange. Strong and healthy, and her mind was so much clearer, even with Pete here. She thought about that for a moment. Vampire blood healed. Could it – would it make her gift easier to control?

"Pete," she said suddenly.

"Yes, Ma'am?" he said automatically, looking up at her in surprise.

"Okay. Firstly, stop calling me Ma'am. I've seen your bare ass twice in the last 24 hours. We're well past the Ma'am stage. Secondly, would it be okay if I held your hand for a minute?"

He looked at her sceptically for a minute. Then he looked worried.

"You don't – I mean, I'm flattered and all, but…"

"Okay, Lattimer, relax. I don't want to jump your bones. I just want to see something."

"Okaaaay…"

He held out his hand in front of him as if he was reaching into a fire. She rolled her eyes and leaned over, taking his hand for a moment. His thoughts were right there, as clear as if he'd been speaking in her ear.

 _"What the hell is she doing…I mean she's hot but really I thought the vampire was more her type, they were definitely getting cosy on the porch. And the damn vamp took her to bed."_

She pulled her hand away as if she'd been burned.

"She did WHAT?!"

"Holy shit! What the hell, boss?" He stuck his finger in his ear, wincing. "Watch the ears, they're sensitive!"

"Sorry. But she took me to bed? When did that happen?"

"You were drunk. Two nights in a row, if I heard right. The first night, I was here. You were…you were crying. She comforted you and put you to bed. I kind of thought – I thought maybe there was something going on with you two."

"Well, that's my business, Pete. And I am a little pissed that you listened to that stuff I said to her. It was private."

"I know, boss. I would never…I won't say a word. It's your business. But, just for the record? Your parents were idiots. Your ability is a gift. You should be proud, not ashamed. They were the ones with the problem."

She looked at him for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to be mad. She decided there was little point. He was trying to protect her, and he wasn't intruding on purpose.

"Wait – how did you hear that stuff about my dad? You weren't here that night, were you?"

"Well, Ma'am, I'm an alcoholic, and it was getting a little difficult to stay close with all the booze. So I stayed in the woods, nearby enough so that I could keep an eye on you, but not close enough to smell it. So I heard what y'all said. She's a smart lady, that vampire. I can't say I like them, as a general rule, but she seems pretty decent."

She flushed.

"I'm sorry about the drinking, Pete. I didn't realise. Well, how could I? Since I didn't even know you were there?" she said that last part half to herself, muttering. "But I'm still sorry. And if you call me Ma'am one more time, so help me God, I will punch you. Call me Myka. That's an order."

His back straightened a little at the note of command in her voice.

"Myka it is."

"Good. You were military?"

He nodded.

"You hungry?"

"Always."

She changed into jeans and a loose shirt, and they drove to a nearby diner, Ted's, where they served breakfast all day. The coffee was the best in town - Myka often stopped on her way to the station to pick some up. Myka ordered scrambled eggs and bacon, and Pete ordered the biggest breakfast they had. And then pie. They chatted for a while about unimportant things, getting to know each other a little better. She had been in town for 8 months, and in that time she hadn't made any friends, preferring to keep herself closed off and distant. She was surprised to find that she enjoyed Pete's company. She'd always found him annoyingly perky, but they had something in common, now – their shared oddness. He was goofy and silly and she found herself smiling often as they talked and ate. It made the afternoon pass quickly, and alleviated some of her tension. She drove them back to her house and he picked up his car and left. She promised to call him first thing tomorrow to tell him what Helena had done with Marcus and Walter.

She took a long shower, flushing as she realised that the vampire must have washed her the night before. She had to have been bleeding, with the beating that Marcus gave her, but she was clean and in clean clothes when she woke up. The idea of Helena seeing her naked made her flush, both with shame at her vulnerability, and with a strange, heavy excitement.

She sat down on the porch to read after dinner, checking the sun's progress on the horizon. She had never considered, before, how difficult it must be for a vampire to live in the normal world. They couldn't be outside in the sun. It would make the mundane parts of life very difficult. Fixing your car, going shopping. Calling to pay a bill. Life was geared around working hours for most people, daytime hours. She'd read somewhere that some vampires had humans working for them to deal with things like that. She wondered if Helena did.

When the sun finally went down her stomach tightened a little. She couldn't have said why she was tense about seeing Helena. She'd seen the vampire for the last few nights and had enjoyed the mostly peaceful time she'd spent with the woman. But it was different, now. Helena had saved her from an attack that she probably wouldn't have survived. And honestly, if she'd been raped by Walter Sykes, she probably wouldn't have wanted to. Her lips peeled back a little in a snarl. She was more than a little glad, she admitted to herself, that he was dead. She hoped he'd suffered.

She didn't need to look to know that Helena had arrived. Something changed in the air around her, and something pulled, inside her. She looked up and the vampire was a few feet away, staring at her, searching her face.

"Helena."

"Hello, Myka."

She seemed ill-at-ease, for some reason. Myka eyed her curiously.

"Are you okay?"

Helena tilted her head.

"I…I didn't know if you'd want me to come. After what happened, last night."

"What do you mean?" Myka asked.

Helena raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, perhaps I should be more specific. Which part of last night? You leaving because I said something stupid, or you saving my life?" Myka smiled at her crookedly.

"Well, both, I suppose. I was hasty in leaving, for which I apologise. And when I received your call, I was almost too far away to be of any use. I am not sorry I killed those animals. But I am sorry if that presents a problem for you. I could certainly understand it if it did."

She was looking at Myka uncertainly.

"Oh, for God's sake, Helena. Just come sit down, will you? I won't bite," Myka said, grinning.

Helena moved next to her on the swing seat, still looking uncertain and small.

"You saved my life, Helena. I shouldn't be happy, as the Sheriff, that you killed them. But as the person they attacked? The person they intended to rape and probably kill? I'm damn glad you killed them. I wish you hadn't left last night, but not because I'm pissed at you. I wish I hadn't said something thoughtless and made you uncomfortable. I do that, sometimes. I don't listen to people's thoughts, but I can still…usually, I have an idea of what they're feeling, whether I like it or not. And with you, I don't have any idea. I can't help being curious. Sometimes it gets away from me. I'm sorry. "

Helena looked at her intently, as if she were memorising each detail of Myka's face.

"I shouldn't have been so easily offended. It was a fair observation. And I would be remiss if I did not say that I understand that you have likely been rather lonely too, given your past. Your observation was not made in malice, but in understanding of how it feels to be lonely. I knew that. I am sorry."

She lifted Myka's hand to her cool lips and kissed her fingers. A thrill shot through Myka at the touch of the vampire's lips.

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"For what?" Helena asked, still holding Myka's hand to her mouth.

"You saved my life."

Helena watched her, still and quiet and soothing.

"Yes. You were dying. I could not let you die, when I had the means at hand to save you. I understand that some humans are squeamish about such things, but I could not stand by and let you die at the hands of those vile pigs."

"And you saved Pete."

"I knew that you would be upset if he died. I knew he was watching over you."

"You knew he wasn't a real dog?"

"I wasn't sure who he was until I saw him in his human form, but I knew he was a shifter, if that's what you mean."

"You saved him for me?"

Helena nodded and looked down.

"Why?"

"I…I regretted leaving as I did. I did not want you to be hurt. You would have been hurt by his death, would you not?"

Myka nodded gravely. Helena smiled slightly, meeting her eyes for a moment and then looking away. It was strange to see this powerful, calm creature so unsure.

"I didn't know I was calling you, you know," Myka said, conversationally, as she looked out into the darkness of the woods.

"What do you mean?" Helena asked, quietly.

"I don't use my cell very often. My gun and pepper spray were in the house. He – Marcus – he was holding a gun on me. I couldn't get to my weapons, and the only thing I had was my phone. So I pressed the call button a few times. I remembered from the manual that it called the last dialled number. It was going to be you or the station, or maybe Mrs Frederic. I'm glad – I'm really, really glad - that it was you."

"As am I," Helena said. "Your station might have sent someone, but they would have been too late. You were dying. I…I am very glad that it was me that you called. If you had died…"

She gritted her teeth and as she did so her fangs extended. There was a noise coming from her throat, a rumbling growl that Myka had never heard before.

"It's okay, Helena. I'm alive. You saved me."

Helena turned to her, and her eyes were black and terrifying. Myka reached up to touch her lips, to run her finger along the edge of her fangs, fascinated by them. She pricked her index finger on the sharp point, staring at the spot of blood that appeared there. She looked up at Helena's face, and saw that the vampire's attention was focused intently on the blood on her finger. She was breathing in slowly, and she closed her eyes as she took in the scent.

"Is this what you meant? That I smell different? My blood?" Myka asked in a whisper.

"Yes," Helena said. She appeared to be holding herself still with some effort.

"It's okay. I don't mind if you want to…" Myka indicated her finger with a nod of her head.

"Are you sure?" Helena asked, her eyes still closed.

"Yes," Myka said, and she meant it. She wanted…she didn't know what she wanted, from this woman. But she knew that she wanted _something_. And that this was the beginning of that want.

Helena dipped her head slightly and Myka watched with fascination as her tongue slid out from between those pale lips and delicately licked away the pinprick of blood on her finger. The vampire made a sound that was close to a moan and suddenly took Myka's finger into her mouth, sucking on it gently. It was divine, the feeling of those cool lips around her finger, and that tongue moving softly against the pad of her fingertip. Suddenly Myka knew exactly what she wanted, and as Helena looked up at her, still with Myka's finger in her mouth, she knew that the vampire knew it, too.

She also sensed the exact moment that Helena decided to pull back, just a little, from the moment that was before them. The vampire's pupils were so large that her irises were almost non-existent. She released Myka's finger from her mouth, dropping her eyes, and becoming completely still for a moment. Myka leaned back into the porch swing, lacing her fingers over her belly and closing her eyes, comfortable with allowing the moment to pass, for now.

After a long silence, Myka cleared her throat a little.

"So, what did you do with the deputies?"

Helena turned slowly to look at her. Her eyes were normal again – normal for her, at least. They were still almost unfathomably black.

"I disposed of them. Their remains will not be found, Myka. Have no fear."

"I suppose they'll have to be reported missing, in time," Myka sighed. "By me, most likely. I don't know their home situations but I find it difficult to believe that either of them had wives or girlfriends. Although it wouldn't surprise me to find out that Walter lived with his mom. In their motel."

Helena lifted an eyebrow at that, but Myka did not elaborate. Pop culture references probably weren't Helena's forte.

"Have you made any progress in finding the child?" Myka asked.

"I'm afraid not. The person who is covering her tracks, whoever it is – they are very clever. I have enlisted some help in tracing them through the internet, but I am unsure as to whether that approach will bear fruit. If it is James MacPherson, I am sure he will have enough skill with a computer to hide them well. He always was good at adapting and picking up new technologies."

Helena looked weary. She was whiter than usual, which was saying something, because normally she was paler than any human Myka had ever seen. But there was something about her skin, her eyes, that looked unhealthy.

"Are you okay, Helena?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sorry if this seems offensive or whatever, but you don't look well. You look really tired, and really pale. More so than usual, I mean."

Helena looked at her for a moment.

"I was – I was on my way, last night, to find myself a meal. I was forced to return here, instead, and while of course I dealt with your assailants and fed on them, I had to give you and Peter some of my blood to heal you. It has…wearied me."

"So go get something to eat!" Myka said, in a chiding tone of voice. "Or someone, I guess. You didn't have to come here first. I could have waited."

Helena smiled at her faintly.

"I wanted to be sure you were well, Myka."

"I am, thanks to you. And now you're starving yourself, which I won't accept. So go and do whatever you do." She thought for a moment, and then added, "Whatever that is. How do you go about…feeding? If that's an okay thing to ask?"

Helena looked at her carefully for a moment before speaking.

"Are you sure this is something you want to know, Myka? Most humans find this aspect of our existence unsavoury at best."

Myka shrugged.

"It's part of who you are. It interests me. If that's not something you want to talk about, though, that's fine. I guess I don't know what vampires consider to be private or whatever."

She was looking at Helena curiously, though, and she really did want to know. She knew that the invention of synthetic blood by the Japanese was the reason that vampires had come out of the coffin, but she wasn't naïve enough to think that all vampires had given up drinking human blood. From the little she knew of them, drinking blood from the source was a very pleasant experience for the vampire, and could be for the human too. It was, for the most part, linked with sex.

"I drink the synthetic blood, mostly. But it is difficult to come by, certainly in this part of America. I usually go to a vampire bar and find a willing donor."

Myka was fascinated.

"People do that?"

Helena nodded, amused.

"Many humans enjoy the experience. They are known as fang-bangers, I believe. Vampire groupies."

Myka laughed. She hadn't heard the term before.

"So the human enjoys it because of the sex? Or do they enjoy the biting part, too?"

"Well, I can hardly imagine that the actual biting part is enjoyable for the human – it certainly wasn't for me. But the feeling for us is euphoric, and we can glamour a human into enjoying it. And the sex is often part and parcel of the bargain, I suppose."

"Is that how you see it? As a bargain?" Myka asked curiously.

Helena lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

"Is there another way to see it? It is a trade. The human usually comes off the worse in the bargain – after all, we are taking your actual life's blood, in trade for a moment of pleasure."

Myka smiled back, her lip quirking.

"Only a moment?" she said, trying to bite back the words almost as soon as she said them. She hadn't meant for it to come out so…suggestively.

Helena moved a little closer, her mouth suddenly very close to Myka's ear.

"I assure you, Sheriff. It would be much more than a moment's pleasure, in your case," she said, in her cool, rich voice.

Myka's eyes fluttered shut, and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I should go," the vampire said.

Myka opened her eyes.

"I…I understand. You need to eat," she said, sounding pathetic even to her own ears.

"I do," Helena said, her voice regretful. "But I can come back, perhaps tomorrow. There is a place I would like to take you to, if you are willing?"

Myka smiled widely.

"I would love that," she said quickly.

Helena smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. It was a more genuine smile than the handful of others Myka had seen on her face – they had merely been polite movements of her lips; this was genuine amusement and perhaps happiness that Myka had agreed to her suggestion.

"Before you go, I…Pete – he said you stayed here, with me, when I was drunk. Is that true?" Myka blurted it out before she could think it through.

Helena regarded her solemnly for a moment, her smile faded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You were upset, Myka. I do not know you well, but I imagine that drinking to excess and crying in front of strange vampires is unusual behaviour for you. I did not want you to be alone. I would not have wanted to be alone, were I you. Should I have left you?"

Myka looked at her intently.

"You stayed, just because you thought I was lonely."

"Yes."

"Thank you," Myka said, and before she could think better of it, she leaned forward and kissed the vampire lightly. Helena's lips were unnaturally cool against hers – cool, but soft. She moved back a little, surprised at her own boldness, and looked into the dark eyes that were so close to her own. Helena's eyes were wide with surprise, but the pupils were dilating sharply, and before Myka knew what was happening, those cool lips came down on her own, not at all gently, but hard and crushing. The vampire's arms were around her, one hand on her lower back, one in her hair. Myka's own arms had, quite of their own volition, made their way around Helena, and one hand was teasing through soft hair. Myka hadn't been kissed in some time, and this was not at all like a normal first kiss. Helena was strong, overpoweringly so, but incredibly gentle at the same time. Her tongue was extraordinary – cool and flickering against Myka's, warmer than her lips, but only marginally so. Her mouth tasted sweet, and she was careful that her fangs – now fully extended – did not break Myka's skin, although she did use them to nip at Myka's lips and tongue. Myka breathed in sharply as the fangs closed around her bottom lip. It was painful and intensely erotic and Myka's head was swimming. She shifted, trying to move closer to Helena, to feel more of her.

With a shudder, the vampire suddenly pulled herself away from Myka, almost shaking with the effort.

"Wh…Why did you stop?"

Helena looked at her incredulously.

"You…you have no idea, do you? What I'm capable of? What I could do to you?" Her hands were in fists at her sides, her teeth gritted.

Myka stared at her, licking her lips unconsciously where they were stinging from Helena's nipping.

"I think you could do pretty much anything you wanted to me, and I wouldn't mind," Myka said honestly.

Helena hissed, holding herself still with an effort.

"You don't know what you're saying, Myka. You don't know what we're capable of."

"What are you afraid of, Helena?"

"What do you think?!" she almost shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I could hurt you; I could kill you. Easily."

"And yet, we're here right now because you saved my life, right here, not 24 hours ago. I am not afraid of you, Helena."

"You should be," she snarled, looking at Myka with her fangs exposed, her eyes terrifying and black.

Myka looked at her calmly, and she leaned forward again, kissing the edge of Helena's mouth gently.

"Maybe I should be. But I'm not. You're beautiful," she murmured. "Now go, and feed. I'll see you tomorrow, Helena."

She went inside without a backward glance. It was an effort. She wanted Helena, in a way that she had never wanted anyone or anything. She craved the stillness, the peace that Helena represented. And she craved the way that the vampire made her feel. But she couldn't very well push Helena into something she didn't want to do. Myka felt the vampire leave as a sudden emptiness to her other sense, and she went to lie down on her bed and try to sleep, knowing that it was more than possible that Helena would never come back.


	6. Chapter 6

Myka spent a quiet Sunday on her own, reading and tending to the small garden at the back of the house. She made a call to the station to check in with Steve, who confirmed that all was well but that Marcus hadn't turned up for his shift. She grumbled at that, doing her best to sound annoyed but unconcerned, and told him to try to find out where the man was, knowing perfectly well that this was the beginning of the process that would lead to her filling in a missing persons report that she knew to be false. By sunset she was dressed in grey pants and a blue shirt, hoping that it would be an appropriate outfit for whatever destination Helena had planned – if Helena turned up at all.

At sunset she felt that odd tension again as she waited. She would know soon enough whether the vampire was coming back or not. But it was pulling at her insides, the thought that she might not come, might not want to be here as much as Myka wanted her to be here. _Needed_ her, really. It was unusual for Myka to admit, even to herself, that she needed someone. She felt oddly vulnerable, and wrapped her arms around herself as she waited.

It wasn't a long wait. The vampire, oddly, knocked at the front door. The soothing sense of her presence washed over Myka as soon as she opened the door. Helena was in a long brown trench coat over knee-high boots, dark pants and a blue shirt. Myka breathed a silent sigh of relief that she had chosen the correct outfit for the occasion.

"Good evening, Myka," Helena said, sweeping herself forward in an elaborate bow and making Myka smile broadly.

"Good evening, Helena."

Myka locked her front door and followed Helena to a small sports car. Myka didn't know much about cars, but it looked sleek and expensive. It was a gunmetal grey colour and was low to the ground. Helena opened the door for her with a wry smile, and Myka settled herself in the thankfully roomy interior. It was all leather, naturally. It also had air conditioning, for which Myka was grateful. Leather interiors did not mix well with the oppressive heat of a Mississippi summer.

"So, where are we going?" Myka asked.

"I thought I would take you out to dinner at a place I know, and there is something – a place that I wanted to show you. If that's all right. The drive will take a while, however."

"That's okay," Myka said. She was just pleased to be in Helena's company, and Helena clearly knew that. She smiled at Myka happily and the sight of her happiness was devastatingly beautiful. Something in Myka's chest turned liquid and golden at the sight.

The drive was long, and Myka nodded off more than once. Helena didn't speak much except to remark on the places they were passing. When Myka fell asleep for the last time, she woke to find Helena's hand resting on her leg, near her knee. It was cool and pleasant and as she looked up, Helena smiled softly. They arrived eventually at what looked like an old manor house. It was clearly an antebellum home for a family of means, and it had valet parking and a vampire maître d' who was actually French. He clearly knew Helena, bowing respectfully to her as they entered the building.

The restaurant was set up to cater to both human and vampire guests. There were separate menus, and Myka was intrigued by Helena's selection. Her first course was a small concoction of synthetic blood and vodka and something else that Helena said she couldn't quite place. Vampires weren't really able to ingest solid food, but mixing food flavours with blood was becoming a popular practice among the vampire community. There were several vampire chefs who were now well-known for their creations. The human food in the restaurant was wonderful; some of the best Myka had ever tasted. She dreaded to think how much it cost, but Helena seemed unconcerned, consuming her main course, which was some sort of soup creation similar to a lobster bisque, with relish. She grinned at Myka often, her fangs exposed because of the presence of blood in her food. For some reason, the sight was incredibly sexy. They barely spoke during dinner, but it was a comfortable silence.

Helena declined dessert, but Myka had a craving for sugar so she ordered a chocolate torte with cream. She was eating it unselfconsciously, trying not to moan at the taste, when she looked up to find Helena watching her avidly with a dangerous look in her eye.

"Everything okay there?" Myka asked mischievously, smiling.

Helena growled a little in response, and the sound made Myka's hair stand on end. She shivered and smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. She didn't quite understand how Helena could have such an effect on her without even touching her.

"Shall we depart, darling? We still have a way to go," Helena said, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Sure," Myka said, smiling.

They drove on to Helena's mysterious destination, and Helena once again put her hand gently on Myka's leg as she drove, sometimes stroking a little. Myka slept again for a while as they drove. It was after midnight, and she was generally an early riser.

They arrived at a nondescript area of woodland in an anonymous town in the middle of nowhere. Myka looked at Helena for clarification.

"This…this is Wells, Mississippi. This is where my daughter was born. This is where I died."

Myka stared at her for a long moment.

"Come," Helena said, moving in a blur to open Myka's car door. She offered her hand to Myka and led her through a dark wooded area to the bank of a river.

"This is Black Creek. I used to walk here every day with my daughter, accompanied by William or by Charles, my brother. Christina loved it here. She used to splash around just there," she pointed to a shallow area of the creek, "and she would catch tadpoles and have water fights with the local children and she could swim like a fish, the little blighter."

She paused, not out of a need to breathe, but just to gather her thoughts, it appeared. She walked along, taking Myka's hand in hers almost absently as she did so.

She pointed at a nearby building, a small, simple wooden house.

"That was my parent's home. They built it themselves. They moved in later life, I believe, to somewhere grander. But whenever I think of home, I think of here."

Myka walked alongside the vampire in silence, wondering why they were here. Helena's skin glowed slightly in the darkness of the woods. She had asked Pete in the diner the previous day whether he could see the glow; apparently he could not. It must be something to do with her own gift, she thought. And she wondered when she had begun thinking of it as a gift, rather than a shameful secret. Something to discuss with Dr Cho tomorrow, perhaps.

"You wanted to know about me, about what makes vampires different. You are not frightened of me, and you will not take my warnings to heart. I want you to understand, to truly understand the difference between humans and vampires."

Myka met her eyes, nodding slightly. She would listen. But she knew what she wanted.

Helena stopped under a large tree with wide, spreading branches. An oak, Myka thought.

"This is where I died. James MacPherson met me on the path here, and smiled and chatted to me, and when I turned to return to my home, he struck. He drained my blood, and at the last moment, before my death, he gave me some of his. I last felt my heart beat here, underneath the limbs of this tree."

Helena sat down under the oak, inviting Myka to join her. Myka did so awkwardly, not having the vampire's night vision or grace in the darkness of these woods.

"I died here, and I woke here. James buried my body where we sit. Two nights later, I awoke. I remembered my human life, but as if it was someone else's story, someone else's memory. All I could think of was the gnawing hunger that was pulling at me. He at least had the decency to release me from my grave, so that I didn't have to dig myself out. I imagine that I would have been even more feral, had he left me to fend for myself. As it was, I killed two humans that night. One old man, who James had brought here for me, and a young man who was walking home from his sweetheart's house."

Myka winced slightly. Helena gave her a sidelong look before continuing.

"James took me to his den before the sun rose, which was an underground cave nearby. I discovered then that I had another appetite that was almost as voracious as the hunger for blood. Not only is our sexual appetite intense, but there is something of a compulsion to be close to one's Maker, at least for the first few decades." She paused for a moment to allow Myka to take in the implications of that statement.

"I spent much of the next twenty years or so in this area. James and I were lucky in that the Civil War began the year after he made me a vampire. Prey, as you can imagine, was plentiful."

Myka shuddered at that. The thought of the Civil War was disturbing enough, but to know that Helena was there, had preyed on the soldiers? It was an uncomfortable feeling. Helena raised an eyebrow, as if to say "I told you so," but she continued with her tale.

"A few years after I was changed, I went to check on my daughter, something I did often. For some reason, my love for her was the only thing that remained of the human I once was. I was nearby, unfortunately, when some starving soldiers decided to break into my former home and ransack it for food and whatever valuables they could find. William was killed, and Christina was shot in the heart. It was accidental, or so they said before I killed them. In any case, I got there just as she bled to death. My little girl was just a few months away from her 9th birthday. James, for some reason, arrived just then – perhaps sensing my distress. There is a link of a kind between a Maker and his progeny. I didn't know what to do for my daughter. I could have given her my blood to heal her, had I been early enough. But I was too late. There was only a tiny spark of life left in her. At James' urging, I brought her over. I made my daughter a vampire, to save her life."

She paused for a moment and wiped her eyes. Myka was startled to see that her tears were red.

"We cry blood. I don't know why," Helena said, shortly, noticing Myka's look.

Suddenly, the import of what Helena was saying hit Myka.

"You – your daughter – she is the killer?"

Helena nodded, without looking up, biting her bottom lip so hard that she drew blood.

"So when you said you did her a great evil, you meant by bringing her over – by making her a vampire?" Myka said, tonelessly.

"Yes."

This child – Helena's child, literally and in the vampire sense of the word – had murdered four children already that Myka knew of. She was not killing them to eat, she was killing them for fun. She was killing them to hurt her mother.

"Go on," Myka said, all emotion drained from her.

"James, for some reason, was delighted at this new addition to our little group. He has always delighted in cruelty. He could easily have taught me the skill, the control, not to kill my prey. But he enjoyed death, enjoyed the power. And so we three lived in our underground dwelling, killing and causing mayhem in the entire county. Christina – or rather, the thing that had once been Christina – was an animal, cruel, evil – out of control. James let her do what she wished. I tried to rein her in, working on my own control at the same time, trying to drink only enough to sustain my life without killing my victims."

She looked down at her hands, bright white in the darkness.

"After a time, it became too much for me. James allowed Christina to kill indiscriminately and she killed for pleasure more than for food. I could no longer tolerate it. I asked him – I begged him – to help me control her, but he laughed at me. He said that we are the master race on this planet, and that it was time the humans learned their place. I do not make any claim to love the human race, Myka. The horror I have witnessed within my own lifespan gives me no great fondness for either humans or vampires. But I could not live with the ceaseless violence. I did not glory in it as they did. I left them after spending twenty years as a pack. I learned to live on my own. I found other vampires. I have lived what feels like a hundred lifetimes since then. And I have never been able to kill her. I know that she must die. She is not my daughter. But she wears my daughter's face. I have had three opportunities to kill her, and I have been unable to do so. I only hope that this time will be different."

She paused for a long moment. Myka tried to absorb what she had said. This mayhem – it was because Helena had brought her daughter over. She had made her own daughter into a vampire – into a monster. That thought made her pause and look at the woman next to her. She didn't think of Helena as a monster. Helena's decision to bring her daughter over was to save her life, not to create a killer. That it had gone so wrong – was that really her fault?

"Did you know what would happen to her when you did it? Did you know about child vampires, about how they're always insane?"

Helena cringed.

"I had heard tales, but in that moment, Myka…all I could think of was my daughter, gone forever. Dead as if she had never been, simply because of the greed of a couple of soldiers. I was sad, in a distant sort of way, about William's death, but I was insane with grief when I realised that Christina was gone. James was the one who suggested changing her. It never occurred to me that it wouldn't be Christina that emerged from the earth 48 hours later."

She bowed her head, grief and shame written in every line of her face.

"I heard that she had left James, a couple of decades later, which is why it never occurred to me that someone would be helping her. She has been living, so far as I can determine, much as a feral animal will. I have been following her trail now for a decade. She has been killing people – children, mostly – in states all across the South. If you cross-check your law-enforcement databases, you will find reports of similar murders for many years. I tried to kill her. I tried. But I couldn't."

Myka grabbed Helena's hand tightly, squeezing it and trying to think of something – anything – to say. The pain in the woman's voice was terrible.

"I…I'm so sorry, Helena. I can't say I'm particularly happy about what you did, given that people are being murdered as a direct result. Children, in my town, are being murdered. But I also can't say that I don't understand what you did. I know you say that you're not human, that you're terrible and evil, but Helena – saving Christina was an act of compassion, of love. The consequences have been awful, but I know that's not what you intended. Would you do the same thing, now? Knowing what she is, knowing what she would become?"

Helena looked at her, bloody tears staining her skin.

"No."

The word sounded as if it was being ripped out of her, and the tears rolled down her face, rivulets of red against the stark white.

"You are not evil, Helena. You have actively tried not to kill, except where you lost control or where you were defending someone. As someone who directly benefited from that defence, I can't complain. It's time to let this go, this guilt. Help me to find her. Help me to finish this, and let your daughter rest."

Helena turned to her blindly, and Myka wrapped the vampire in her arms, heedless of the stains her tears were leaving on Myka's shirt. She held her and kissed her hair and told her she was a good person, she loved her daughter.

Sometime later, they were still under the tree, Helena in Myka's arms, when Myka became aware that she had a very human need. Helena had stopped crying, and her body was flush against Myka's, and it was hard not to think about the way the woman felt against her. But she knew that her increased heart rate and respiration was betraying her, as Helena's head lifted.

"Myka, I…if we do this now, I will hurt you. I cannot control myself, I am too emotional. Please."

Myka kissed Helena's forehead and let her go before walking away to the bank of the creek, until she got her own body under control. She still felt Helena near her, a soothing presence in her mind. Silent.

She took deep breaths and thought about how they could find Christina. There must be a way to track her. And MacPherson. She needed to be sure that all of her deputies were armed with silver bullets – or wooden bullets, perhaps? The old stories about staking vampires were apparently true. And perhaps they could use some sort of silver mesh over their bulletproof vests? She let her mind wander over the different possibilities as she gave Helena time to collect herself. After a time, she heard the vampire's footsteps.

"Are you ready, Myka? You must be tired."

Myka turned and nodded. It was, by now, almost 2 in the morning. She had to be at the station by 9, and it would take hours for them to get back to town. Helena took her hand and led her back to the road in silence. Before they got into the car, Helena spoke quietly.

"Thank you, Myka."

Myka nodded gravely before getting into the car. She was asleep before they'd travelled a mile. She didn't wake when Helena lifted her out of the car and carried her to her house. She slept through Helena taking off her shoes and putting her to bed. When she woke she had another note by her bedside.

 _Myka_

 _I cannot tell you what your words tonight have meant to me. I will assist you in any way I can. I will come back tomorrow, with your permission. I hope you slept well._

 _Yours_

 _Helena_

* * *

Myka readied herself for work, feeling as if she was girding her loins for battle. She asked Leena to send Pete in to see her as soon as he arrived. Steve had been on duty for most of the weekend, so she let him sleep for now. Pete was the better choice anyway, since he was more aware of supernatural matters and was probably the only one of her deputies (so far as she knew, anyway) who had any chance of withstanding an attack from the child vampire.

Before Pete arrived, however, Claudia popped her head in to the office.

"You got a minute, Sheriff?"

Myka nodded.

"What is it, Claudia? Is everything okay?"

Claudia looked uncomfortable.

"Well, I was just checking you were okay. Marcus didn't show up yesterday, Steve says, and it looks like neither Walter nor Marcus has showed up today. AWOL. Marcus has never been off before, and Walter has been out sick, but he's always called, before. It just seems a little weird to me, you know, given what we were talking about on Friday."

Myka spread her hands and shrugged.

"Who knows what those two have been up to? Marcus never particularly struck me as the steady type. If it had been my choice, I would never have hired him. Or Walter. His attitude towards women stinks, never mind his arrogance. I don't know how my predecessor thought either of them were a good idea. No offence."

Claudia shrugged.

"None taken, Ma'am. Joshua was only standing in for the old Sheriff, and he took whatever he could get in terms of deputies. He's left law enforcement entirely now; says he doesn't have the stomach for it. He went back to science; got a research job in Switzerland. He seems happy. I don't think he would mind being criticised about a job he hated."

Joshua was Claudia's older brother. Myka didn't know the family history in full, but Claudia's remaining family had passed away in some sort of accident and Joshua had been left to bring up his sister. After the death of the old Sheriff, Mrs Frederic had hired Joshua to stand in until a replacement could be found.

"That's great, I'm glad he's happy. Does that mean you live on your own, Claud?" she said, with concern.

"No, actually Leena moved into Josh's room. She was looking for somewhere anyway, so it worked out pretty well."

"Great," Myka said. "If you hear anything else about Walter or Marcus, you let me know, okay? If nothing else, their going AWOL might make it easier for me to fire them. I don't like the idea of any of the ladies being left with either of them, given what Pete overheard."

"Sure thing, Sheriff," Claudia said with a mock salute. "Hey, did you do something to your hair?" When Myka shook her head, she added, "Huh – it looks lighter. Oh yeah, before I forget, I have been doing some side work in computers – you knew about that, right?"

Myka nodded.

"I am doing some serious research for a client into a James MacPherson. She said I could tell you that I was working for her. It's nothing illegal, just trawling databases looking for names and things. She says you know her - pale chick?"

Myka smiled. Trust Helena to choose Claudia Donovan to do her research for her.

"That's fine, Claudia. If you are concerned about anything you find out, or you think I should know anything, ask her to tell me. She's been pretty co-operative so far."

"Okay, boss. Thanks."

"Oh, and Claudia? Can you do some research for me? If it comes down to it, and it might, we will need to find a way to defend ourselves against vampires. Can you find out what the police forces in New Orleans use? Silver bullets, maybe, or wooden? And who supplies them? And anything they use for defence. I would like everyone to be as safe as possible."

"You really think it will come to that?" Claudia asked seriously.

Myka sighed.

"I think it's more than possible. From what that 'pale chick' says, this vampire is totally insane. If we catch it, we might end up having to kill it."

"Okay, Sheriff. I'm on it. Is there enough money in the budget for this stuff?"

Myka shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure I can make a good case for this. Considering that 4 kids have died in the last few weeks alone."

Claudia nodded, her face darkening. A lot of those kids were the younger sisters and brothers of her own peers. She grew up in the town, and after her family passed, the community had rallied round for her and Joshua. She wanted to do what she could in return, and that was the reason she'd joined the police force in the first place.

At that moment, Pete arrived, and Claudia left them to it.

"Morning, boss," he said, looking a lot more relaxed than he ever had in this office.

"Morning, Pete. You can call me Myka at work, unless we're around anyone else. If you're comfortable with that," she said.

His face broke into a huge smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

"So, what can I do for you this morning, Myka? _"_ he asked with a smile.

"Well, I got some more information from Helena at the weekend. About this child vampire."

"Okay?"

"It's her daughter, Pete."

He whistled, his eyes wide.

"How the hell did that happen?"

Myka sighed.

"Long story short? Helena was made into a vampire against her will. She was married at the time, with a daughter. Her daughter was murdered during the Civil War, Helena got there just as she died, and her maker encouraged her to make the kid a vampire. Helena did it, not really thinking about the consequences, I don't think. She was just trying to save the kid. Helena's maker encouraged the kid to kill whoever she wanted, and Helena eventually left them because they were killing people indiscriminately."

"Shit. That's…damn. She must be going out of her mind. Trying to bring her kid back and the girl comes back cray-cray? Is she okay?"

Myka shook her head.

"No. She was really upset when she told me. I don't know how she's lived with it all these years. She tried to kill the girl a couple of times but she couldn't go through with it."

Pete winced.

"Shit. I guess it makes sense that she would be how she is."

Myka tilted her head quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at her for a moment curiously.

"You ever met any other vampires, Myka?"

"No."

"Well, they're mostly either trying to be sexy all over you so you'll give them blood, or they're ignoring you. A lot of them refer to humans as cattle. Helena – the way she is with you, anyway – she's closer to human than any other vampire I've ever met. She's cold – I mean, she could probably kill someone without thinking about it – but she's still got more human in her than most vamps."

Myka glared at him as the overtone of his next thought came through the buzzing in her head.

"You were going to say something about her having a little more human in her if I have my way, weren't you?"

He held up his hands in alarm and surrender.

"I'm really going to have to watch my thoughts around you, Myka. Sorry. It's just the way the Petester's brain works."

He gave her such a big grin that she couldn't help but smile back, shaking her head.

"Ass."

He just kept on grinning.

"Okay, so I have Claudia researching ways for us to defend ourselves if we do manage to find the kid. Bullets that will hurt vampires, and defences we might be able to use."

He nodded in agreement.

"And I think we need to find some replacements for Walter and Marcus – this is the second shift Marcus has missed, and the first of Walter's. We can't afford to be short-handed now. Do you know of anyone?"

He nodded again.

"There's a few guys who might be looking for work – from my old Marine unit. I'll make some calls."

"Okay. If I don't get a chance later, can you brief Steve? I have an appointment so I might miss him. We need to make sure everyone is aware that we're looking for a little girl now. Her name is Christina, by the way."

"Okay Mykes. Will do."

She raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but let it pass. He was annoying but in a really sweet kind of way. She smiled.

"Okay Lattimer, back to work."


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the working day was uneventful, and Myka left a little early for her appointment with Dr Cho. She arrived promptly and the diminutive doctor greeted her with a cup of coffee.

They talked about Myka's weekend, and she shared a little about her dinner with Helena from the night before. (The matter of the dead deputies, she kept to herself.)

"Are you dating Helena, Myka?" Abigail asked curiously.

Myka shrugged.

"I'm not sure, really. But I am attracted to her. She's the first woman I've been attracted to."

"You don't seem to be too concerned about that."

"Not really. The fact that she's a vampire is more of a concern than her being female."

"I guess. And what is it about her being a vampire that is of concern?"

"I suppose the fact that she has a serious past – she has had to kill to survive, and she keeps saying that they are very different from humans. I don't see it, myself. Or certainly not the way she means it, anyway. They prey on us to survive; we prey on animals. We all do what we have to."

"She has killed people – most vampires have, or so I understand. They can't always control themselves at the beginning."

"Yeah. That's how she explained it. The urge to keep draining the human is very hard to resist."

"It's not something we can really understand, I suppose, as humans. We don't need to take life to live."

Myka nodded.

"I guess. But we do anyway. Every piece of meat we eat is part of the life of an animal. Just because we don't do the actual killing ourselves doesn't mean that it didn't happen. We're just divorced from the process. I still eat meat – don't get me wrong – but I just don't see the difference. We're not really any better than the animals around us, we've just adapted better to our environment. And the vampires have adapted a little better still, I guess. Helena keeps saying that they're cruel and evil, but she hasn't shown me much evidence of that."

Abigail cocked her head.

"Interesting. I wonder what she means by that. I guess you'll just have to find out. I suppose I don't need to tell you to be careful?"

Myka laughed.

"Unless I wrap myself in silver, I don't think there's much I could do to defend myself if she wanted to hurt me. But I am as careful as I can be in the circumstances. It's early, anyway. Nothing has really happened. We kissed, but that's it."

Abigail was obviously intrigued, but left the subject there.

"So, we were talking about how things were at home, and we stopped. So why don't you tell me how you got from Colorado to being a Sheriff in Mississippi?"

Myka explained what had happened with Sam and the organised crime gang in Colorado Springs.

"If you don't mind me saying, Myka, you seem a lot calmer, and not as upset as you were on Friday," Abigail commented when she had finished.

"I talked to Helena about some of this stuff, over the weekend. She had some interesting points to make."

Abigail smiled and tilted her head.

"Like?"

"Well. I've been feeling guilty for a long time about Sam's death. I thought that if I'd listened to the gang's thoughts, I could have saved him."

Abigail nodded.

"And now?"

"Helena said a few things that made a lot of sense, I guess. Firstly, she pointed out that the gang members would have had to be thinking about their plans at the exact time when I listened. And then she pointed out that there was a reason I didn't listen to those thoughts or any others. That reason, of course, being my parents abandoning me. So she said that if there was any blame, it would rest with them. Because, given the choice, it's likely that I would have used this ability and not blocked it as I have."

She shrugged slightly, and Abigail nodded thoughtfully.

"She's not thinking about becoming a therapist, your vampire, is she? Because she might put me out of a job."

Myka smiled.

"She certainly has a way with words."

"She does. And the points she makes – they're good ones. Your parents' abandonment is what stopped you from using this ability. You are not responsible for that. And you are not responsible for Sam's death or for any other incident that may or may not have happened, had you used your gift. Because you weren't really given the choice."

Myka nodded. It was hard to accept that she had nothing to feel guilty about when it came to Sam's death. She'd carried it with her for such a long time. But maybe it was time to let that go. She _hadn't_ had a choice; both Helena and Abigail were correct about that. By the time she became a detective she couldn't have used her ability in any useful way even if she'd wanted to. The thoughts she heard were jumbled together to such a degree that it was all just noise. She could usually work out people's emotional state from whatever they projected, but other than that, the only times she'd clearly heard someone's thoughts were on Saturday when she'd touched Pete's hand (and that was probably because she'd ingested vampire blood), and the few times when she had been intimate with someone.

"I think you should start considering what you could do with your gift and how you could make it useful to you and those around you. I don't want you to make any decisions right now. You are fully able to refuse to use it and to continue as you have been doing – it's your ability, no-one else's. Not even Mrs Frederic can make you use it. It's your choice. I just want you to consider the benefits and downsides of a fully working ability to hear other people's thoughts. So consider that your homework," the therapist said with a smile. "We can talk again whenever you need to, but let's say this time next week for now. If you need me, you have my number."

Myka nodded, smiling softly. She made her way home, checking with Leena on the radio that everything was okay at the station. She ate a quiet dinner and was reading on the porch when Helena arrived after sundown.

"Good evening, Sheriff," Helena said, smiling.

"Good evening yourself," Myka replied, gesturing to the empty seat beside her on the porch swing.

Helena joined her and they sat in blissful silence for a while.

"Did you sleep well?" Helena asked solicitously.

"I did, thank you. And thank you for getting me safely to bed, again. What is that, the fourth time now?" Myka asked, smiling.

"I believe so, yes," Helena said gravely, but with her lip quirking a little. "You are a rather sleepy creature, even for a human."

Myka gave her a mock glare.

"And what about you? Are you okay, after our talk last night?" Myka asked.

Helena dropped her gaze to her hands for a moment.

"Yes, I am, thank you. I…appreciate your care of me. Your words meant a great deal to me."

"I'm glad, Helena. I meant them."

Helena smiled at her almost shyly.

Myka jumped up all of a sudden.

"I almost forgot!" she said. "I got you something."

She went into the house and emerged with a bottle of Tru Blood.

"I remembered what you ordered the other night, and I picked a few up while I was out today. A positive, right?"

Helena looked incredibly emotional at this small gesture of Myka's.

"Yes - I…thank you, Myka. I…I'm surprised you managed to find it. It is difficult to source, in this area."

"Well, Pete knew of somewhere in the next town over. I went to see my therapist and I thought it would be nice to have something to offer you while you were here. Do you normally have it warmed up?"

Helena nodded.

"There are directions on the bottle," she pointed out, hesitantly, and Myka smiled and went inside to the microwave. She emerged a few minutes later with the now-warm drink and a cup of herbal tea for herself.

"Thank you, Myka."

"You're welcome, Helena," she murmured, taking a sip of her tea and closing her eyes, just enjoying the quiet as she was becoming her habit when Helena was around.

"I still love her, you know. Even after everything she's done. Even though I know it's not really her."

Myka turned to look at Helena.

"I know," she said, sadly, touching Helena's arm gently.

Helena smiled at her then, a grateful, beautiful smile.

"How are you…? You are so…"

"What?" Myka asked quizzically.

Helena kissed her. It was sudden but it was soft. And her lips, as usual, were cool. Myka kissed her back, sliding one hand around Helena's neck gently. It was pleasant and soft and Myka broke away before it became more than that.

Helena looked at her for a moment, her head tilted, her cheeks pink from the synthetic blood she'd been drinking.

"Should I not have done that?" she asked uncertainly.

Myka smiled softly.

"It's not…I liked it. I like kissing you. But I don't want to push you, Helena. You seem so frightened that you'll hurt me, and even more frightened because I'm not afraid of you. I don't want to frighten you. You're the first person I've really wanted to spend time with for a very long time. I don't want to push you away."

Helena studied her intently.

"You are strange, Myka. Not because of your ability, but because you think so differently. I find it intriguing and I want to leave you alone because I do not want you to be hurt. But I also find myself coming here, night after night, because I cannot stay away. It is…maddening. You are maddening."

Myka smiled at that.

"I can't say that's the best compliment I've ever had, but it's not like I've been getting flooded with them, so I'll take it."

"Now that, I cannot believe. You have had no shortage of admirers in your life, surely?" Helena was looking at her sceptically.

"I have met people. I was with Sam for a while and sometimes I could hear fragments of his thoughts, but one of the best things about him was that nearly everything I heard him think, he said right after. He wasn't one for guile, that's for sure." She trailed off as she realised that it was probably an inappropriate comment to make, given that he had died exactly because of that lack of guile. She was quiet for a moment as she offered a silent apology to Sam, wherever he might be.

"I can't really be with anyone though, long term. The strain becomes too much. Not listening is nearly impossible when you're…intimate. I very rarely hear anything other than just noise but when I'm intimate with someone it's clearer. Historically, what I heard during those times – it wasn't anything I wanted to hear, you know?"

Helena nodded sympathetically.

"I can imagine that would be rather difficult, in the circumstances," she said, in a colossal understatement. Her lips twitched, however, and after a moment both she and Myka were laughing.

"This one guy, I'd been seeing him for about a month, and we were…and I got this little flash of an image - he was fantasising about the pizza delivery guy. I just got up and left. I couldn't even look him in the eye after that," Myka said, half cringing, half laughing.

Helena laughed even harder.

"Your ability has…unfortunate side-effects," she said, eventually.

"I'll say," Myka said, smiling. She got up and went to the fridge to grab a beer. Helena declined another Tru Blood.

When Myka was seated again, Helena moved a little and put her arm around Myka's shoulders, tugging her to pull her close.

"Is that all right?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Myka said, and she smiled crookedly in response. Helena was not warm, but she was solid and her touch was comforting in a way that Myka seldom felt. Touch usually increased her ability to hear the thoughts of the person she was touching, and while they were rarely coherent, it was still disorienting for her.

"Is it because you cannot hear my thoughts that you are so comfortable with me?" Helena asked suddenly, her fingers tracing obscure designs on Myka's upper arm.

"Yes, or it was initially, anyway. You can't imagine what it's like to hear that mess of noise all the time, and then to come across someone who is totally silent – it's just bliss. But like you said to me earlier, it's not my ability that interests you? It's not your silence that interests me. You make me feel calm and peaceful. I don't feel like I need to talk, but I also feel like I can if I want to. It's nice. More than nice. Not many people in my life have been that interested in what I have to say."

Helena nodded.

"You are the first human I have had any great interest in knowing, Myka. I have spent well over a century with my own kind, using humans for food or…for sex. But you are so different. I find myself at a loss to explain it."

Myka shrugged.

"Then don't."

There was another beat of silence, and then Helena curled her arm, bringing Myka closer. She looked into Myka's eyes and then she moved closer and kissed Myka again softly.

"I will try not to be frightened, if you can be patient with me," she said slowly. Myka nodded, silent and wide-eyed. Helena slid Myka onto her knee without any perceptible effort, and kissed her gently at first, but it didn't stay gentle on either side for long. Myka's heart began to race and she reached over blindly to put her beer on the table before threading her fingers into Helena's soft, thick hair. She bit back a moan as Helena's nails scratched at her back, and then Helena slid her tongue into Myka's mouth, playing with Myka's tongue deftly. Myka really did moan, then, and one of Helena's hands moved to Myka's hair where she pulled at a handful of curls none too gently. Myka turned then to straddle Helena and grip the vampire's slight body between her knees. For all her formidable presence, Helena was smaller and thinner than Myka, a fact which was easy to forget since she could literally crush metal with her bare hands.

The kiss grew hungrier and Helena nipped at Myka's lips and tongue gently with her fangs. Myka drew back for a second, chuckling.

"You're good with those things, do you know that?"

Helena smiled, almost a smirk.

"I've had a little time to practice," she said wryly.

Myka bit down on Helena's bottom lip in response and was both thrilled and terrified by the low, rumbling noise that issued from Helena's chest in response.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Myka," she said against Myka's mouth.

"You don't scare me, vampire," Myka said, biting at her lip again.

Helena stopped for a moment, searching Myka's eyes.

"You really aren't frightened. I still don't believe it. I could rip your head from your body. I could drain you in seconds."

Myka met her gaze evenly, one eyebrow lifted.

"Is that what you want to do to me?"

Helena paused, biting her own lip for a moment.

"No."

Myka kissed her again and Helena groaned, her eyes fluttering closed. She drew back for a moment and then she kissed Myka roughly, her hand sliding under Myka's t-shirt and her nails grasping at her flesh. Myka gripped Helena's hair roughly, pulling it and kissing her hard, playing with Helena's tongue. Her tongue could move remarkably quickly, and that fact was making Myka's mind drift to places that made her breath come faster.

"If you're scared, now would be the time to slow down," Myka murmured, her mouth moving to Helena's neck, gently running her tongue along the sensitive flesh under her jaw.

"I…am terrified," Helena said, but her head was thrown back and her hands were roaming further still, to brush Myka's underwear and bra simultaneously.

"You have a funny way of showing it…" Myka chuckled, and then gasped as Helena's cool fingers brushed her nipple.

Myka's breath was coming in short gasps, and somewhere in the rational part of her brain, a voice was telling her to move back, to slow down, to not give Helena a reason to run away. Her rational brain, however, was not in the driving seat at that precise moment. Especially not when Helena was nipping at her ear with sharp fangs, making her gasp.

Myka's hands roamed a little more boldly at the encouragement, and she ran one hand up over Helena's ribcage, to cover Helena's breast. It was smaller than hers, the nipple was thinner and jutted out a little more against her thumb. But for all its familiarity, the difference was thrilling. Helena made a low growling sound, her throat vibrating under Myka's mouth.

"Do you want to stop, Helena?" Myka asked, before she explored any further as she so desperately wanted to.

Helena groaned a little and drew back. Her pupils were huge, the iris almost invisible. Myka idly wondered if that was a vampire thing or a Helena thing.

"I…I do not, not at all. But I think perhaps we should."

Myka couldn't help but feel disappointed. It must have shown on her face, and Helena's face fell.

"I am sorry, Myka. I don't want to hurt you. I could so easily hurt you."

Myka smiled at her ruefully.

"You worry too much, Helena. You've been with humans before, right?"

Helena sighed.

"Well, yes. But I was never terribly concerned with their well-being, Myka. I have never really cared for anyone like…" she trailed off uncertainly.

"What is it that you think you're going to do to me, if you lose control?" Myka asked, quietly.

"I worry that I would take your blood, that I could become overwhelmed by it. That I would hurt you. Your blood is…I know that I can't explain this to your satisfaction, but there is something different about your blood, something that makes it almost overwhelmingly attractive to me, and I suspect to other vampires. I would never forgive myself if I were to lose control."

Myka shrugged.

"So, try. Try drinking from me. If you can't stop, then we know this isn't a good idea."

Helena looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"You are insane, Myka. Do you have a death wish?"

Myka shook her head, smiling.

"No, but I do have a few defences if you can't stop."

"Defences?" Helena raised an eyebrow.

Myka smiled again.

"Oh, no. I'm not telling. You only get to know about them if you're on the wrong side of them, how about that?"

Helena looked at her cautiously, as if wondering where on her body she could be hiding such defences.

"Trust me, Helena. I'm not going to let a vampire bite me without taking a few precautions."

"Are you sure about this, Myka?"

"Sure. I want to know if this is even possible before I start to worry about whether it's a good idea. Come inside."

She walked inside and sat on the couch, checking that her restraints and firearm were where she'd left them – within easy reach. She had a silver necklace in one pocket of her jeans, and a bracelet in the other.

Helena followed her slowly, clearly still unsure as to whether this was a good idea or not.

"Are you sure…"

Myka cut her off, raising a hand.

"I said I was sure, Helena. Now, how do you normally do this?"

Helena moved next to her on the couch, shifting their bodies closer.

"Well, normally I would glamour a human into wanting me to bite them, unless of course they have approached me to offer."

"Well, since that's not necessary…" Myka smiled.

"It also helps with the pain, from the bite."

"Okay, so let's start there."

Helena looked at her, and it was clear that she was trying to do something, but Myka could feel little, other than a slight whisper across her 'other' sense.

"Well, that's disconcerting," Helena finally said, leaning back slightly.

"I take it that wasn't how it was supposed to work?"

"Well, no. We seem to have a problem, in that case. I can't take away your pain."

"I can handle it, Helena. I was nearly beaten to death. I think I can handle a bite."

Helena shrugged then, visibly steeling herself.

"Very well."

She leaned over Myka, and breathed in close to her neck. Myka heard her fangs extend, and she took a deep breath to steady herself, to get ready for the pain. When it came, it was unpleasant, but not overwhelming. More of a sharp sting than anything else. But when Helena began to drink – she felt a not-unpleasant draining sensation. And the feeling of Helena sucking on her neck was bringing other, definitely not-unpleasant feelings to the fore. Helena moaning in her ear was not helping to calm her libido either. After she felt like their experiment had gone on long enough, she reached behind her blindly for her restraints and cleared her throat.

"Helena. I think that's enough."

No response, except for another low moan.

"Helena. I want you to stop, now."

Nothing. She grabbed Helena's hair with one hand and pulled.

"Helena, stop, now."

The vampire pulled herself away with a growl, her eyes black and her mouth bloody. After a moment, sense returned to her eyes.

"Oh my God, Myka, I'm so sorry…."

Myka picked up a napkin from the coffee table and wiped at her neck, where the bites stung only a little. There was surprisingly little blood.

"Successful, I would say. Wouldn't you?" Myka asked, her eyebrow raised.

"How can you say that? I could have killed you!"

Myka sighed impatiently.

"Yes. But I asked you to stop, and yes, I had to repeat myself, but you still stopped of your own accord. So, you're not out of control."

Helena looked at her, desire and fear warring in her expression.

"Why do you trust me?"

"Why don't you trust yourself?" Myka countered.

She leaned back in her chair, suddenly exhausted. Helena was sitting precariously on the edge of the couch, clearly unsure whether to stay or leave.

"Helena. You didn't do anything wrong. Can you please just relax?" Myka said, exasperated.

Helena sat back hesitantly, moving closer to Myka.

"I'm sorry. I just really don't want to hurt you," she murmured.

"And you didn't," Myka said. And after a moment, she thought. "Well, that's not entirely true. It did hurt, but it wasn't terrible. And you stopped, Helena. So you have nothing to be sorry for."

Myka looked at her and smiled mischievously.

"So, was it good for you?"

Helena made an exaggerated groaning noise and buried her head in her hands.

"You have _no_ idea, Myka. Anything I say will just…well, it will sound filthy, quite frankly. But you are special in so many ways, darling."

"You're right, you did make that sound filthy."

Myka laughed, and Helena glared at her.

"You're making light of this deliberately, aren't you? So I will calm down?"

Myka tilted her head, smiling.

"Did it work?"

Helena smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her. Myka could taste her own blood on Helena's lips. It wasn't as horrible as she thought. It wasn't something she _wanted_ to taste, particularly. But she still enjoyed the feeling of Helena's mouth on hers, Helena's tongue against hers.

After while they broke apart and Myka resumed her customary place with her head on Helena's shoulder. After she yawned a few times, Helena said she was going to go so Myka could sleep.

"You are exhausted, darling. Make sure you eat and drink properly tomorrow. The blood loss was not extreme, but you should look after yourself."

She kissed Myka softly and left. Myka went to bed a little sore, but satisfied that Helena wasn't the danger she thought she was.


	8. Chapter 8

_Myka and Pete make a gruesome discovery, Myka struggles to cope. May be slightly NSFW…_

* * *

The following morning Myka was due at the station at 9am. However, she was woken at 7.20 by her phone. Her alarm was due to go off at 7.30, but she still glared at her cell before answering.

"Sheriff. It's another murder. Two, actually."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Where?"

Leena's quiet voice gave her the details and she drove to the same woods where many of the other bodies had been found. She met Pete there and he nodded to her without saying anything. He pointed into the woods.

"This way, Sheriff."

It suddenly struck Myka as she watched Pete's nose twitching that he had been sniffing out the remains with his shapeshifter powers this whole time. It wasn't surprising that she hadn't realised before; after all, shapeshifters weren't 'out' like vampires were – she didn't even know that they existed before Pete had told her what he was. But she still felt like she should have realised that the sniffing at crime scenes was something unusual. Especially when she, herself, was so unusual. She smiled ruefully and followed Pete into the woods.

A few minutes later they came upon the scene. Two small children, 8 or 9 years old. Twins. She knew them. Early in her tenure as Sheriff one of the girls, Lacey, went missing. Myka stayed up for 36 hours straight, trawling through the woods with every search party. Eventually she decided to go out searching on her own, leaving Pete to lead the town search party. She found the child hiding in a hunter's hide in the woods. She didn't tell anyone how, but once she was far enough away from everyone else, she could hear the girl. Not clearly, of course. But she could feel a mind out there where no mind should be. She carried the child two miles through the woods – her radio shorted out and there was no cell service. She still remembered the look on the girl's mom's face when the woman arrived at the hospital and saw that her little girl was alive. Pure joy.

Myka was unable, this time, to be completely dispassionate as she looked at the mutilated bodies of the children in front of her. The little girl on the right was the one Myka had saved.

"Shit," Pete choked out. He was pretty close to the kids' parents.

Myka didn't trust herself to speak. She examined the scene carefully and took note of all of the details. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye, something white against a nearby tree. It was a white rose, nailed to the tree with a small piece of paper wrapped around the stem. Myka put on a pair of latex gloves and unrolled the paper carefully.

 _"Happy birthday, mummy."_

Christina had left her mother a birthday present.

Myka wasn't sure how she got through the rest of the day. She felt like the voices, the noise, the buzzing, were all amplified. They went to notify Lacey and Hannah's parents of their murder. In the end, Dr Calder had to come and sedate Catherine, the girls' mother, because she went mad with grief, trying to tear her own hair out. Myka had read about people doing that in their grief, but she'd never seen it before. She never wanted to again. She'd had to leave the room, swaying at the onslaught of Catherine's pain against her mind.

She was drained and she couldn't take it anymore, so she left a concerned Steve in charge at the station and went home. She got into the shower and stayed under the hot water for what felt like hours, and when she came out she sat on the porch with a hot cup of herbal tea. It wasn't until she heard Helena's voice that she realised she hadn't touched her tea. It was cold, still clutched in her hands. Her hands were white and bloodless from clutching the cup tightly.

"Myka? Are you all right?"

She turned her eyes to the vampire, who was peering at her in concern.

"I'm fine," she said absently, and went back to staring into the yard.

"What has happened, Myka? You don't look well."

"I'm fine," she repeated, mechanically.

Helena took the cold cup of tea from Myka's hands gently, rubbing them to try and get some blood back into them. Myka stared down at her hands.

After a while Helena placed another cup in her hands, this one full of warm liquid. Tea, with a dash of brandy, by the smell. She lifted it to Myka's lips, encouraging her to drink. Myka swallowed automatically, wincing a little at the bitterness of the brandy.

"Can you tell me what has happened, Myka?"

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday," Myka said vaguely, before she thought about it.

Helena's face stilled.

"What did you say?"

"She left you a note. Happy birthday."

"What did she do, Myka?" she asked quietly, in a controlled voice.

"She killed two little girls. They were twins. They were such nice girls, Helena. One of them – she went missing earlier this year, and I found her in the woods. I carried her home. She was such a bright girl, Helena. She didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve this."

Helena's face was set.

"I…I am so sorry, Myka. This shouldn't have happened. This is my fault."

Myka said nothing. She didn't have it in her to comfort Helena, not after what she'd seen today. What she'd felt, from Catherine and John. She felt like her inside had been ripped out, burned with acid. Her chest hurt.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course not," Myka said wearily. "How could I be?"

She didn't look up. Helena sat next to her and strong fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look into Helena's eyes.

"Myka. How long have you been sitting here?"

Myka shrugged.

"Come inside, Myka."

She led Myka inside, fussing over her and wrapping her in a blanket. She went into the kitchen and heated some soup that Myka had left over in the refrigerator. She sat and watched Myka as she ate, who was too tired, too drained – too _something_ to protest that she wasn't hungry. When Myka had finished, she took the bowl away and took Myka's hands in hers, looking at her carefully.

"Myka. What happened?"

Myka recited the events of the morning emotionlessly. She left nothing out, not even to save Helena's feelings. This was not Helena's doing; Myka knew that. But she was indirectly responsible for this, and she had failed to kill Christina when she could have. Perhaps this would give her the motivation she had been lacking, before. It was unfair to think of it that way, but facts were facts. Had Helena killed Christina when she could have, those kids would still be alive.

When she finished, Helena looked away, her jaw clenching.

"I know that nothing I can say will make this any better, Myka. But I am so sorry. Sorry that those children had to die, sorry that you had to endure seeing this. Feeling this must have been almost unbearable."

Myka just stared. She didn't have the words to explain what it felt like to tell someone that their children were dead, to feel the torrent of despair and rage and grief flood through them and into her own mind. She felt like she had fire ants crawling under her skin, in her heart. She didn't honestly know if she had the strength to survive it. And they weren't even her children.

"Myka. Myka. Are you okay? Myka?"

She was oblivious. The pain was so strong, the devastation. She wouldn't be surprised to get a call soon that one or both of the kids' parents had taken a handful of pills or eaten a gun. She wouldn't be surprised if someone got the same call about her.

Helena was shaking her. She snapped out of her daze enough to mutter another 'I'm fine,' but Helena was not convinced.

"You have to control this ability, Myka. You have to learn to shield these emotions out. They could swallow you. The grief of losing a child – it is indescribable. Even indirectly, it must be intense."

Myka knew all of that. She couldn't stop herself from laughing bitterly.

"You think I don't know that, Helena? I felt that woman break today, when I told her that her little girls were dead. I felt every emotion that she and her husband felt. I threw up in their back yard, Helena. I nearly passed out with the pain. I…whatever this ability is, it's not a fucking gift. It's a curse. I don't know if I can even…the pain that woman was in…I don't know how she's still alive, Helena. I damn near blew my own head off when I got in the car."

Helena squeezed her hands, her eyes wide with concern.

"You can't let it consume you, Myka. These aren't your feelings. They weren't your children."

"I know that, Helena," she snapped.

The vampire recoiled slightly at her tone.

"I…should I go, Myka? I can call your friend Peter, if you'd rather he were here with you?"

Myka thought about it. She probably shouldn't be alone, in the circumstances. But the thought of Pete being here, seeing her like this? She didn't want that.

"No, don't go, please. I'm sorry."

"What do you want me to do? How can I help you?" Helena said, anxiously.

"Just…just sit with me," Myka said wearily. She sat back on the couch, the blanket still wrapped round her, and Helena sat next to her, watching her carefully. Myka closed her eyes and tried not to think about the screams of anguish that felt like they were still resonating through her whole being. She noted with some surprise that her hands were trembling under the blanket.

"Could you…could you hold me, Helena?" she asked, without looking up.

Helena lifted her effortlessly onto her lap, wrapping Myka, blanket and all, in her arms. Myka relaxed against her, her face buried in Helena's neck. Helena was rubbing her back soothingly, her lips against Myka's hair. After a while Myka found that she was concentrating more on the physical sensations Helena was evoking than the horror of the day that she'd just endured. It was soothing, to be held and comforted, and to lie with someone without having to endure their emotions on top of her own.

"I'm so sorry, Myka," Helena murmured, with real pain in her voice. "I didn't want this. I know you are probably thinking that I could have stopped this, and you are right. I could. If I had been strong enough to kill her before, those children would still be alive."

Myka sighed. Her heart was torn. She understood why Helena had stayed her hand, why she had been unable to kill her own daughter. But on the other hand, in doing so, she had condemned countless others to death. Those girls – they were babies. They hadn't even started their lives, not really. And that…that _parasite_ , she was ending innocent lives for the sake of spite, or possibly amusement.

"I understand, Helena. I just wish that things were different. And I wish…God, this is so selfish…but I wish I didn't have to feel it. I wish they were all as blank to me as you are, that I didn't have to sit here feeling their grief along with my own horror."

Helena's arms tightened around her a little.

"I would protect you from it if I could, Myka. I am so sorry."

She kissed Myka's brow and her closed eyelids, resting her own forehead against Myka's for a moment.

"I wish James had simply drained me. Then perhaps things would have been different, but if not, Christina would have died when she was supposed to, and none of this horror would have happened."

Myka pulled back a little, staring at Helena. Helena's words had shocked her out of her daze a little more.

"Do you really feel that way? That you should be dead?"

Helena smiled wanly.

"I _am_ dead, Myka. For all intents and purposes, anyway. I do not breathe, my heart does not beat. Whatever I am, alive does not cover it. The sun abhors me. Its touch would burn me to ash. Does that not tell you all you need to know?" She said it archly, mockingly, but Myka could read the vulnerability and uncertainty in her eyes.

"Is that how you think of yourself? As something that the sun rejects? I thought vampires were afflicted by a virus, not undead."

Helena smiled, but there was little humour in it.

"I believe that is the official story. But come now, do you really believe that? We are the undead. We are supernatural beings. We are the embodiment of the dark. We prey on the living." She looked away, her nostrils flaring and her jaw tight.

Myka shifted uncomfortably. Helena had echoed her own thoughts about Christina; that she was a parasite. But she didn't feel that way about Helena. Helena was a good person, or vampire, or whatever, Myka could feel it. Or rather, she _couldn't_ feel it, but she believed it nonetheless.

"The sun isn't rejecting you, Helena. Whatever you are, you vampires, it's nothing to do with evil – or at least, not necessarily. You are proof that good exists in vampires, just like everyone else. If you were truly evil, you wouldn't care what your daughter was doing out here – you'd just carry on draining your latest human and move on."

Helena turned to look at her with that unfathomable gaze, but Myka could tell that she was getting somewhere.

"Are you telling me that you don't care about those children? Their parents? Me?"

Helena considered for a moment.

"I still have feelings. I still care. But I fail to see how that is relevant."

"I think you see exactly why that's relevant, Helena. If you were evil, you wouldn't be sitting here comforting me when I'm in pain. You would have let Walter Sykes rape and murder me. You risked yourself to come back here, so I wouldn't be hurt. You killed him and Marcus to save my life. You gave me your blood, Helena. You didn't have to do any of that. So get off your damn cross, okay?"

Helena stared at her, and then nodded.

"Good," Myka said.

She settled back into Helena's arms, and the vampire held her closer, kissing her temple softly. Myka resisted the urge to laugh at the tenderness of the gesture. Evil, indeed.

Helena began to stroke her hair slowly, her fingers massaging Myka's scalp, draining away the tension. Her fingers began to trail slowly down Myka's neck and jaw, and Myka shivered at the feeling of the vampire's cool flesh against the warmth of her own.

Those fingers stalled for a moment at the strong pulse under Myka's jaw, where Helena had bitten the night before. Myka's heart began to speed up. She needed something, anything to take away the weight of grief that was pulling her under. She unravelled the blanket that was surrounding her enough that she could free her hands, could touch Helena, could think about something else other than devastation and grief. She slid one hand to the back of Helena's neck, not quite meeting her eyes.

Helena's eyes were black, with virtually none of the iris showing. Myka leaned forward, tilting her head, and she kissed Helena softly but intently. Her other hand buried itself in Helena's hair. The kiss became deep and open mouthed and wanting swiftly. Myka wanted nothing more than to forget everything that she'd endured that day, and she lost herself in the feel of Helena against her. Helena broke away for a second to murmur in Myka's ear.

"Is this what you want, Myka?"

Myka answered her by pulling her forward by the hair, not entirely gently, and kissing her again, her tongue moving against Helena's. Helena responded with a small growling noise and Myka was suddenly aware that there were fangs once again nipping at her lips and tongue. Helena was suddenly standing, with Myka still in her arms, and before Myka could adequately process that movement they were in her bedroom.

"Wow..." she said breathlessly.

"I can move quickly when I need to," Helena said, her arms cradling Myka as if she weighed nothing.

"Bed…" Myka said, before she absolutely had to kiss Helena again, had to feel that cool mouth moving against hers. She barely noticed the movement but suddenly they were sitting on the bed and Helena's arms were still around her, and Helena's tongue was moving against hers in a wonderful rhythm.

Myka's hands went to Helena's shirt buttons, undoing them slowly, and she broke away reluctantly from Helena's mouth so that she could kiss the skin she was uncovering. Helena was so very pale, but her skin had a pink tinge – presumably she had been drinking synthetic blood before she arrived at Myka's home. Her flesh was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Myka's fingers kept on unbuttoning and after a moment her mouth found Helena's satin-covered breast. Helena's arms tightened around her and she made another growling noise, and she pushed Myka suddenly onto her back and pulled her t-shirt off over her head, her mouth going to Myka's abdomen and kissing the muscles there.

"You are so very beautiful, Myka," she murmured, in between kisses and small bites. Myka answered with a soft gasp, her hands in Helena's hair.

"Please…" she muttered, pulling Helena's mouth to hers. "Please…"

"This will be different, Myka," Helena said softly as she nipped at Myka's neck. "Some people find it overwhelming. Addictive, even."

That sounded pretty good to Myka, right then. Overwhelming, addictive. She answered by pulling at Helena's belt buckle, and after that, things became somewhat of a blur. Occasionally, Helena actually _was_ a blur, moving so fast that Myka's brain could not adequately process it. The physical sensations were overwhelming, as Helena had warned. One moment she remembered perfectly clearly, however. Helena was on top of her, tongue and teeth playing with Myka's body, and Myka was urging her on, to stop teasing. Helena finally took her at her word. As Helena's cool fingers slipped inside her, the vampire's fangs entered her throat. The storm of sensations, of pure pleasure, made Myka cry out Helena's name. She had never felt anything like it before, and she had never expected to ever be _able_ to feel like this, to enjoy the physical sensations with a lover without their thoughts getting in the way. And with Helena, the physical part was heightened both by her vampiric abilities and by the bite, which was a distinctly sexual experience in and of itself. Myka didn't recognise her own voice as she cried out her pleasure.

Eventually, Myka had to give in to her weariness. She was vaguely aware of Helena holding her like she was the most precious thing on earth. Myka was able to sleep without nightmares of dead children, and when she woke in the morning, it was to the lingering scent of jasmine, and as usual, a small note.

 _Myka_

 _I appear to have wearied you so much that I could not even rouse you to tell you how much tonight meant to me. You are a wonder, my love. I will return at sundown._

 _Helena_

Despite the horror of the previous day, a small smile lingered on Myka's face as she showered and ate breakfast. Her body ached and she was exhausted, but she felt whole somehow.

She made a stop at the ME's office before heading to the station. Dr Calder had nothing new to tell her. The woman was, for once, visibly disturbed. She'd ministered to the twin who'd gone missing all those months ago.

"You have to find this vampire, Sheriff," she urged, in a rough, low voice.

"I'm doing what I can, Dr Calder," Myka said, a touch exasperated. "I can't help it if there's no evidence or witnesses – I'm doing my best."

Dr Calder eyed her warily for a moment.

"Do you have another headache, Sheriff?"

"No, but I'm starting to get one!" Myka said, her eyes blazing.

"My apologies, Ma'am. I'll leave you to your work," Dr Calder said, clearly retreating from Myka's testy behaviour.

Myka sighed as she realised that she was being unreasonable. She took off her hat and scratched at her hair for a moment, squinting slightly.

"Sorry, Doc." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I guess this…whole thing has been affecting me a little more than I thought. It's hard, to deal with parents when they've lost someone. The grief – it's hard to…" she trailed off helplessly.

Dr Calder gave her a knowing look.

"I can imagine, Myka. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be questioning your commitment to this."

She put her hand on Myka's shoulder, startling the Sheriff slightly as Dr Calder's thoughts came into sharp focus as a result of the touch. To Myka's surprise, a distinct image of Arthur Nielsen came to mind, overlaid with sense of fondness for the man that definitely wasn't hers. She jerked back, staring at Dr Calder.

"You and Artie…you're together?" she asked, incredulously – both at the idea of this elegant, beautiful woman with the rumpled, moth-ball scented attorney, and at the sudden strength of her own ability. She wondered again if it was related somehow to the ingestion of vampire blood.

The doctor smiled at her.

"We've been married for a long time, Myka. He told me about this ability of yours but I was a little sceptical, even after all the years I've been with him. I've never seen the ability in a human before."

She seemed delighted to have startled Myka so much, and for some reason, her amusement tickled Myka. She began to laugh, and after a moment she had to sit down. Her abdominal muscles were aching; probably a result of her evening with Helena. Laughing was torture, but she couldn't seem to stop. She calmed down after a time, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I knew, Myka," Dr Calder began. Myka held up her hand.

"It's okay, Doc. It seems like everyone around here knows more about me and about what's going on than I do. I'm starting to get used to it."

"Yes, well. Mrs Frederic likes to take care of her people. And I'm sure that the only people who know are those who need to. Don't worry; your secret is safe with me. After all, if I tell on you, you won't feel any obligation to keep Artie's secret, either."

Myka squinted at her in confusion.

"It's possible I'm being entirely dense here, Doc, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Dr Calder smiled.

"Well, who else would be asked to train you in your gifts but another telepath?"

Myka thought about it – it made sense. But Dr Calder had just said that Myka was the only human telepath that she knew…so was Artie…?

"He's part demon."

Myka's eyes widened.

"Damn. I really have no idea what's going on, do I?" she said wonderingly, almost to herself.

Dr Calder laughed.

"I felt that way once, too, Sheriff. When I met Artie I had no idea about any of this business – vampires, weres, demons, fairies."

 _Fairies?_

"But once you get used to it, it just seems normal." Dr Calder paused to consider that. "Well, not normal, exactly, but just part of life, I suppose. If you ever need any help with healing any supernatural creature, call me. Between Artie and myself we have probably dealt with just about any type you can imagine."

"Wow. I…I think I'm going to have to process this," Myka said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It'll get easier, Myka. I promise."

Dr Calder squeezed her shoulder and went to the wall station to pick up some purple latex gloves before returning to the cold room where the little girls' remains were waiting, leaving Myka in her office, lost in thought. After a few minutes of stunned silence, Myka came round and shook her head.

"Vampires and fairies and weres, oh my," she whispered to herself as she replaced her hat and set her shoulders to get on with her day.

She called Pete into her office, finding a coffee already waiting for her with one for Pete. She had long since given up working out how Leena knew these things, so she just smiled and shrugged. Maybe Leena could see the future.

"Pete, is there anyone who might be able to track these vampires through smell?" she asked once the office door was shut behind him.

"I don't know, Myka," he said, thoughtfully. "I can't tell one vamp's scent from the other, to tell you the truth. They smell all cold and spiky," he said with an exaggerated shiver. "But there might be other supes who can."

"Supes?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Supernatural creatures. That's pretty much what we all call ourselves," he said, picking at his teeth with his ever present toothpick.

"Okay. Could you make some enquiries with the local supes?" she asked.

He squinted doubtfully.

"I can ask, but I'm not really involved with the local packs, Sheriff. They might not take too kindly to an outsider asking questions," he said.

"Well, I'm happy for you to use my name, and maybe I can meet up with them and see if they might be willing to help us out from time to time, in exchange for us playing down these panther and bear sightings?" she said, thoughtfully.

Pete smiled slowly.

"You know, that's a really good idea, boss. I think I know just the guy to talk to."

"Okay," Myka said. "Can you let me know how you get on? The sooner, the better."

He nodded.

"Oh yeah, Mykes. I called two of my old buddies from the Marines. They have both worked in law enforcement elsewhere, and they are looking for work. You interested?"

Myka nodded.

"Can you get them down here?"

"Sure thing," Pete said.

He got up from his chair.

"By the way, boss. I meant to say, you got that…afterglow going on, this morning. Are those fang marks or are you just pleased to see me?" he said, winking.

He left the office before she had a chance to start yelling. She looked down, involuntarily, but the marks from Helena's fangs weren't on show. He could probably smell the marks healing or something. Asshole. She grinned after a moment, however. She couldn't stay mad at him. She had never felt like this about anyone. She had never felt this way _with_ anyone, and Pete teasing her about it just made it feel more real. This past week or so (was it really only a week?) had passed like some sort of strange dream, and because she only ever saw Helena at night it made it feel a little like it had never happened. Her fingertips traced the sensitive marks at the base of her neck through her shirt, and she smiled a small smile as she remembered the night before.

 _Myka was half asleep, her body so relaxed it felt utterly boneless. She opened her eyes and allowed them to wander over the body of the woman next to her. Helena was lying on her side, holding her head up on one hand, elbow on the bed. She had a small smile on her face as she watched Myka trying to rouse herself._

 _"What are you looking at, lady?" Myka said playfully._

 _"A vision, my love," Helena said in response, the edges of her eyes crinkling. She was gloriously nude, her skin glowing white, and her eyes darker than Myka had ever seen them._

 _"You know how to charm a girl, that's for sure," Myka said, rolling her eyes a little._

 _Helena chuckled._

 _"Many, many years of practice. Almost 200 of them, in fact," she said, her smile slipping a little._

 _Myka moved towards her, grasping Helena's hips to pull their bodies together._

 _"Maybe you were just waiting for me," she said, kissing Helena languidly._

 _"Perhaps," Helena allowed, her eyes on Myka's. "You were certainly worth the wait."_

 _She bent to kiss Myka again, and Myka's heart began beating more swiftly at the touch of Helena's tongue on hers. After a moment she broke away, trying not to gasp._

 _"No-one has ever…done that for me, before," she said, a little reluctantly. She wanted Helena to know what this night meant to her._

 _"Done what?" Helena asked, curiously._

 _"I have never…I could never let go, not entirely. I had fun with Sam, it was good. But it was never…like this. And anyone else…their thoughts just got in the way."_

 _Helena frowned at her for a moment, and then gaped._

 _"You mean…you've never…?"_

 _"Well, yes, but not with anyone else."_

 _She hid her face in Helena's hair, suddenly shy._

 _Helena shook her head slightly in wonder._

 _"Is it inappropriate for me to say that I am glad that I am the one to have given you this?" Helena asked, her head dipping to allow her lips to meet Myka's neck._

 _"No," Myka said, gasping slightly, because Helena had started to touch her again, her hands roaming and leaving an intense desire in their wake._

 _"Good, because I am so very glad that I am the first person to have heard those delightful noises from your throat, Myka. I intend to coax them from you again," she said, her fangs extending again and nipping at Myka's skin, delightfully painful and dangerous._

 _And she had, over and over. By the time Myka was too exhausted for more, Helena was smug and smiling at her accomplishment, her arms cradling Myka close and her tongue lapping at the drops of blood left behind on Myka's neck from her earlier bites. The feeling was oddly soothing, and Myka let it lull her to sleep._


	9. Chapter 9

_Myka, Pete and the weres go on a little jaunt to follow Christina's scent at the crime scene. Some unexpected guests turn up._

 _(Sorry for posting this so late; life got in the way. Next part should be up sometime around the weekend)_

* * *

Myka busied herself with the reports and evidence from the crime scene the previous day. Claudia was becoming somewhat of an expert in forensic techniques these days; despite her stated desire to be Sheriff one day, Myka suspected she would gravitate more towards the science and computer side of police work. She had written concise reports which all said the same thing. Despite the evisceration of the bodies, and a wealth of physical evidence, they had nothing concrete. Zip. She sighed and wondered whether things would ever go back to normal here, in the town that was supposed to be her solace after all the madness in Colorado Springs.

Pete's Marine buddies turned up just as Myka was planning to go home. They both seemed intelligent enough and neither of them were bothered by working for a woman; Pete had checked that they had worked under female officers before and neither had ever had any complaints against them for any reason. She could tell that Liam would not be a problem in that way, as he was clearly much more interested in Steve than in any of the ladies, and while the other guy, Jeff, was clearly interested in her, he was polite and kept his eyes north of her neck at all times, something she couldn't even always say about Pete, so she was pretty pleased. She hired them both on a provisional basis, telling them to return first thing the next morning. Pete asked to see her after she'd interviewed them, so she called him in after the interviews were done.

"What's up?" she asked distractedly. She was getting her stuff together ready to go home, and her mind was already focused on Helena's arrival after sundown.

"The guys – both the guys you just spoke to – they're weres," he said, urgently.

"Okay," she said carefully. Was she supposed to know the significance of that?

"They're werewolves, Myka," he said impatiently. "Like, wolves. With wolf noses. And they've dealt with vampires before?"

She realised what he was saying.

"So, we can use them to try to track Christina?" she said, shaking her head a little at her own stupidity.

"Yeah," he said, obviously making an effort not to call her a dumbass.

She'd put it out of her mind because she figured Pete would let her know when he'd spoken to the local pack leader or alpha or whatever they called themselves; and she was distracted – more than distracted – by the thought of Helena.

"Right," she said, trying to claw back some authority and dignity. "Can they come look at the scene? Did you ask them?

He nodded.

"They can come by this evening. I figured if we met there around 9 – that gives you time to fill Helena in on what's going on, and they can meet her so they can get used to her scent and discount it at the scene. Does that make sense?"

She nodded, lost in thought.

"D'you think they'll find anything?" she asked.

He shrugged a little.

"They seemed pretty confident, Myka, and one thing we were taught in the Corps was that you never pretend – if you don't know, you speak up, or somebody dies. So I have no reason to think that they won't be able to help."

She nodded.

"Okay. We'll meet you there at 9. Call me if anything changes."

She ate a filling but unsatisfying dinner of pasta and when sundown came, felt the familiar pull of anticipation at the vampire's imminent arrival. She didn't have to look up from her book to know when Helena was there.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Good evening, Sheriff," Helena said, sketching a small bow in her direction before making her way at normal speed to the chair next to Myka.

"Are we so formal, now?" Myka asked, smiling as the vampire settled next to her.

Helena looked at her uncertainly.

"I must confess I didn't know how you would react, after last night. As I mentioned, some humans become addicted to vampire sex, and while I never really thought you would, I was concerned."

Myka smiled at her.

"Well, I get how it could become addictive. It was pretty amazing. But I am not infatuated with your sexual prowess, Helena. I'm interested in you."

She underlined her point by pulling her body away from Helena's and simply looking at her, letting her eyes speak instead of her body. She wanted to touch Helena, but it was more important to show her that she was interested in who she was, rather than how fantastic sex with the vampire had been.

"I…thank you, Myka. For understanding. I have unwittingly drawn many humans along in my wake, infatuated or enthralled with me because of a sexual experience. I have no wish to entertain a relationship of that kind now, any more than I did then."

Myka smiled softly.

"We don't have to do it again, Helena, if you're uncomfortable. Although I would really, really like to. But that's not what this is. I'm not using you, okay?"

Helena smiled at the sincerity in her voice.

"I would be most upset if we didn't get to do _that_ again, Myka," she said, in a whisper that sent a small shiver through Myka.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that, because it was…wow." She grinned at the vampire, who smiled back in genuine amusement. "But there's something else we need to talk about right now, if that's okay with you?

"Of course," Helena said, inclining her head in that archaic way of hers.

"Pete found some werewolves who are going to examine the scene of the murders. They can apparently tell the difference between vampire scents, which Pete can't. They need to…well, smell you, I guess, so that they can exclude you. Would that be okay?"

Helena nodded.

"I promised you I would do anything I could to help you, Myka, and I will. I want this to be over before Christina kills again."

They took Myka's car, since Helena was on foot, having travelled from wherever her sleeping place was. They were there a few minutes early, so Myka decided to spend those minutes in an energetic session of teasing, which led to Helena, after a few minutes, gripping Myka's wrists to trap her arms at her sides. It was very much like being held in a steel vice; terrifying but thrilling.

"We are supposed to be investigating, Myka," Helena growled. "Unless you want your men to discover me making you scream out your pleasure in the back seat of your squad car, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself."

Myka laughed, still trying to squirm out of Helena's grip. She wasn't usually this playful, but she knew that she didn't want to think about what she'd seen in these woods the morning before either. She stopped struggling, however, when she saw the twin beams of headlights coming towards them. Probably best if her new deputies didn't discover her making out with a vampire in her car. She straightened her clothing and grinned at Helena before opening the door and getting out.

Her new deputies and Pete were half-dressed, wearing only trousers and tank tops. Myka looked at Pete quizzically as they approached.

"We're going to have to change, boss – the sense of smell is stronger in wolf form," he said, gesturing at their clothing.

"Oh, right," she said, once again feeling stupid. "Guys, this is Helena. You need to rule her out."

Jeff and Liam nodded seriously before disappearing into the trees to change. Pete held his hand out to Helena, who took it, looking slightly bemused.

"I wanted to say thank you, ma'am, for what you did for me and the Sheriff," he said seriously. "You saved our lives and I can't ever repay you for protecting the Sheriff when I couldn't."

Helena nodded, just as seriously, and bowed slightly in recognition.

"You are most welcome, Deputy Lattimer," she said, and after a long moment they let go of one another's hands. Pete nodded again and turned to follow his friends into the dark of the woods.

A moment later, three large wolves came slinking out of the forest, golden eyes glinting in the light from the car headlights. They walked up to Helena carefully, waiting in case she made a move, and then began circling her, sniffing. After 30 seconds or so the largest one made a whuffing sound and led the others towards the site of the murders. Helena and Myka followed them in silence. They waited as the three wolves sniffed carefully at the entire area, and then, as one, the wolves began running into the woods.

"What the…?" Myka managed, before Helena lifted her swiftly and the woods around them began to blur.

"They've found a scent, Myka," Helena murmured in her ear as the trees whipped past them. Myka nodded and tucked herself closer to Helena's body. It was disconcerting to move this fast and to have no control, but she trusted Helena.

After a fairly short time they stopped, finding the three wolves walking in circles in a clearing. Helena put Myka back on her feet and they waited for a moment as one of the wolves approached them. He moved behind them and Myka told Helena to keep her eyes forward.

"I don't understand, Myka," Helena murmured, and Myka laughed.

"They left their clothes back there. I'm guessing that's Pete and he's going to change so he can talk to us."

Helena nodded, her eyes forward.

"It certainly would be useful if you could read minds clearly at the current time, to avoid the risk of accidental viewings of Deputy Lattimer's "junk" as I believe our mutual friend Claudia refers to it?" she muttered, and Myka was nodding until Helena said the word "junk". That started her off laughing and she didn't stop until she heard Pete's voice from behind her.

"Sheriff, the trail ends here. It seems like they met with some weres – no-one that any of us have met – and it seems like the weres tramped around to destroy any chance we might have had to follow the vamps."

Helena frowned and almost turned, but Myka grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Why would weres be helping vampires who are killing children in their area?" Helena asked, sounding extremely confused.

"That, I can't help you with, ma'am," Pete said. "I'm going to change and we'll head back to the car."

"Are you ready?" Helena asked, as Myka felt Pete's mind blur and shrink behind her. She nodded, and was treated to the reverse version of their earlier journey. As they approached the car, however, Helena stopped suddenly, her chest rumbling in a growl.

"What's wrong?" Myka asked, against Helena's neck.

"There are weres here. Hiding," Helena said, in a low voice. "Stay behind me."

Myka did as she was told. She could feel minds all around her, glowing redly to her other sense, and all of a sudden she remembered that Marcus Diamond's mind, that night in her backyard, had felt that same way. Marcus Diamond had been a were.

"Sheriff, you better come out here," a familiar voice called. She tried to place the woman's voice, but for once her memory failed her. "We want to talk to you…" it said, tauntingly.

"You are not coming anywhere near the Sheriff," Helena called out in her cold voice. "She is under my protection."

Myka bristled instinctively at the idea that she required anyone's protection, but she had to admit to herself that she really did need Helena right now. She didn't feel like taking on a group of wolves or bears or panthers.

As that thought entered her mind, the three wolves loped up behind them, growling deep in their throats.

"Y'all better stay out of this," the voice called, presumably to Pete and his friends. "This is a pack matter. Your precious Sheriff murdered one of our pack, and this vampire helped her."

Pete blurred quickly into his human form, stepping behind a nearby tree and pulling on his jeans quickly.

"That's not true," he called out, stepping out into the clearing by the road, holding up his hands. "I'm not part of this pack, but I am a shifter and I swear I'm telling the truth."

Animals began stepping out of the woods onto the road. They were mostly wolves but there were several panthers and one bear. The oldest (but not largest) of the wolves stepped out, blurring quickly into the form of a small, balding (and very naked) man.

"Who are you?" he demanded, ignoring his nakedness and standing close to Pete, chin thrust upwards challengingly.

"Deputy Peter Lattimer," Pete said, nodding his head in a way that was similar to Helena's archaic bows.

"Benedict Valda," the small man said, staring at all of them. "What do you mean, that's not true?"

A young woman stepped out of the trees, and Myka realised whose voice she had been hearing. Sally Stukowski, Arthur Nielsen's assistant.

"They killed Marcus and his buddy Walter. Neither of them have been seen since Friday and the last thing Marcus told me was that he was going to teach the Sheriff a lesson about who was in charge here," she said, giving Myka a look of pure hatred.

"So, what do you say to that, Sheriff?" said the small man, turning his gaze on Myka. He was clearly unperturbed by standing there naked in front of strangers. Myka thought idly to herself that it must be a were thing.

"What I have to say is that Ms Stukowski is correct. Marcus Diamond came to see me with Walter Sykes on Friday. Their intention was to rape and then murder me. Apparently that's what Marcus meant by 'teaching me a lesson'. I was alone apart from a stray dog, who it turns out was Deputy Lattimer, and he tried to defend me. Marcus shot him in the chest."

The assembled weres growled at that, and Sally Stukowski looked around nervously.

"How is it that you're still alive, Deputy Lattimer?" Benedict Valda asked, looking at Pete's unmarked chest sceptically.

"That would be where I come in, Mr Valda," Helena said smoothly. "I received a silent call from Sheriff Bering, and I heard Walter Sykes in the background threatening the Sheriff, followed by the sound of blows in the background. I returned to her home and in the backyard I found Mr Diamond kicking the Sheriff repeatedly. She had already sustained a broken jaw, cheekbone, ribs, and several ruptured organs including her spleen, but apparently that was not enough for Mr Diamond. While he continued with his attack, Mr Sykes was trying to position the Sheriff in such a way that he could remove her trousers. I believe his intention was to rape her as she died."

The assembled weres growled more loudly, and Sally Stukowski's face paled.

"You're lying, vampire! You killed my boyfriend and you're making this shit up so we won't kill you and your girlfriend!" she said, sneering.

"My relationship with the Sheriff is immaterial, young woman. However, I can assure you that I am telling the truth. I have no interest in conflict with the local pack. I am here to track a vampire who has been killing children in your area. I only defended the Sheriff and her friend Mr Lattimer from an attack. Had I known that Mr Diamond was a pack member, I would have sought you out, Mr Valda," she said, again with that archaic head tilt, which he returned. "As it was, I believed him to be an unaffiliated were. I did not think it likely that a member of a local pack would behave in such a fashion. In any case, I confirm that I did indeed kill Mr Diamond and Mr Sykes, in defence of the Sheriff and her friend, and I challenge any of you to say you would not have done the same in my position."

Benedict Valda nodded thoughtfully, and Sally Stukowski began yelling.

"You heard her! She murdered a member of our pack. She has to die, her and her bitch girlfriend!"

Pete tensed next to Myka, and the two wolves behind them began to growl softly.

"There is no need for that, Sally," Benedict Valda said. "We have witches in this area who can confirm whose story is true. Might I ask how the Sheriff and Mr Lattimer are still alive?" he asked, directing his question at Helena.

"Of course, Mr Valda. I gave them enough of my blood to save their lives. Mr Lattimer, of course, needed less than the Sheriff did, given that weres heal more quickly than humans."

Mr Valda looked at her, his eyes widening in slight surprise.

"You must care for the Sheriff a great deal, Madam, to give her your blood," he said. It wasn't quite a question, and Helena simply nodded slightly. He nodded in reply.

"Very well. We will need to use your backyard, Sheriff Bering. Tomorrow night, then?" he asked, and it wasn't truly a question – more of a demand – but Myka nodded, as did Helena. Benedict Valda blurred again into his wolf form and loped away. Sally Stukowski hissed at them and stripped quickly with her back to them, blurring into a sleek black panther. She disappeared in seconds into the darkness of the trees. Myka heard some rustling behind her and felt the men's brains change again from one form to another. After a few moments, Liam and Jeff stepped out from the trees, dressed once again in jeans and tank tops.

"Thank you for the assistance," Myka said, nodding at her new deputies.

"You're welcome, Ma'am," Jeff Weaver said, eyes forward as if he were still in the military. Myka cursed inwardly; this "Ma'am" thing wasn't going to go away, was it?

"So, tomorrow night," she said, turning her head towards Pete. He nodded thoughtfully.

"You guys okay to come along for backup?" he asked, chewing on a toothpick again. Myka wondered idly where the hell he kept them.

Both Jeff and Liam nodded, and with a nod they took their leave of one another, Helena and Myka heading to one car and the men to the other. Myka drove them back to her house in silence, and when they arrived, she heated some True Blood for Helena, and made some chamomile tea for herself. They sat in their customary places on the porch, the chair swing moving gently as Myka folded herself into Helena's cool body.

Helena stroked Myka's hair with long fingers.

"Are you all right, Myka? I was not expecting that woman and her accusations tonight."

"Nor was I," Myka said with a sigh. "I know her. She's Artie's assistant. I didn't realise she was a were. I know what to look for now, though. Their minds are different. They glow."

Helena hummed to herself thoughtfully. "I wonder if you can read them when your ability is working?" she said, almost to herself.

"I don't know if I even want it to work," Myka admitted. "The counsellor – Dr Cho – she said I should consider the benefits and the downsides. I still haven't come to a conclusion."

"I think it would be a good thing, Myka, if you don't mind me saying. Currently it is a disability. At times it almost incapacitates you. You should, at the very least, learn how to block it completely, so that you can shield yourself from the emotions of others."

Myka looked up at her. Helena's forehead was creased with concern.

"I worry that you will hurt yourself someday, that the anguish of another will overcome you as it almost did yesterday," Helena murmured.

"You might be right," Myka allowed, and Helena tipped her head down to kiss Myka. Her lips were cool and pleasant against Myka's, and Myka sat up quickly, turning to face Helena, and began to kiss her more seriously. It wasn't long before she was whisked again to her bedroom, their bodies joining frantically over and over until Helena left just before dawn.

"Until tomorrow, my love," she whispered as she blurred away. Myka had time to feel a twinge of regret that they wouldn't wake up together before sleep pulled her under.


	10. Chapter 10

_The witches cast their spell, Myka worries, and Sally reacts badly to the result. As always, terribly violent and stuff. Just FYI._

* * *

The next day passed in a quiet blur. The calls were fairly routine – domestic calls, one car accident caused by a notorious drunk-driver who ended up in their small jail waiting for a transfer to county for the fourth time that year and a daylight fistfight outside of the local bar that took Pete, Steve, and the new deputies to break up. The jail cells were going to be full that night as the various perpetrators sobered up. Myka was sure that there would be some lectures delivered by the significant others of those gentlemen when they were bailed out the following morning.

"Boss, I got all the vampire gear we ordered from the New Orleans PD," Claudia said after knocking on the doorjamb of her office. "You want me to hand them out?"

Myka nodded.

"Ok, boss. You first, then," Claudia said, handing her several boxes of silver bullets, a Kevlar vest laced with silver, a variation on Mace that contained silver powder and holy water and the last resort – a silver-tipped wooden stake.

"Really? They use stakes in New Orleans? I thought that was just a story," Myka said, crinkling her face sceptically.

"Yeah, well, according to the officer I spoke to, they lost three men to close quarter combat with vamps before they came up with these. It's not so much that the guys are now crack-shot vampire slayers, he said, but more that the vamps don't want to get too close just in case," Claudia said.

"Okay. Thank you, Claud. You've done an amazing job," Myka said, and the young woman blushed.

"Just doing my job, ma'am," she said, disappearing as quickly as she'd appeared. Myka suppressed a sigh. She was going to be "Ma'am" from now until the end of time, whether she liked it or not.

The evening was quiet and still, and by the time Helena arrived, Myka's tank top was see-through with sweat.

"Good evening, love," Helena said, bending to kiss Myka, who was seated as usual on the porch swing.

"Hey," Myka said, smiling crookedly at her vampire. "You have some colour in your cheeks. Did you just feed?" she asked, feeling a little… was that jealousy?

"True Blood only, my darling," Helena assured her. "I have no desire to drink from another, you can be assured of that. Your taste is like no other," she murmured, kissing Myka's pulse point where her fang marks from the previous night were clearly visible.

"I wish I knew what time to expect Valda and his witches," Myka murmured, as Helena kissed her neck, cool lips against her skin making her shiver.

"Wonder no longer, Sheriff," came Valda's voice from the woods. She sat up with a sigh and Helena moved away from her smoothly.

"Welcome, Mr Valda," Myka said. "Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?"

"No, thank you, Sheriff. My pack will be heading to hunt after we settle this matter," he said, bowing politely.

To Myka's surprise, the rest of the pack appeared along with Leena, the dispatcher from the station.

"Leena is one of our resident witches," Valda explained. "And this," he said, indicating a beautiful Latino woman who was next to Leena, "is Kelly Hernandez, who is also a witch, or as she terms it, a bruja. They are, I am told, possessed of incredible power. It would normally take an entire circle of witches to cast this spell, but they can do it together," he said, bowing slightly at the two witches.

"Good evening, Leena," Myka said politely, vowing silently to herself that she would, at some point, stop being surprised by the extra-curricular activities of the people in this little town. She wondered vaguely if anyone was actually human aside from her. Being a telepath didn't make her a supernatural being, right?

Kelly Hernandez shook her from her reverie, offering her hand to be shaken.

"It's nice to meet you, Sheriff," she said, smiling widely. She was incredibly beautiful, with straight white teeth and a mischievous smile. Myka thought idly that she should introduce her to Pete, then she stopped herself. Since when were she and Pete friends who set each other up? Since when were she and Pete _friends_?

Leena was already busy with jars of coloured sand, and Kelly joined her. Soon there were intricate designs inside a circle in the centre of the yard.

"Okay, Sheriff, Mr Valda, we're ready," Leena said, calmly, seating herself on the rough grass in the yard, and Kelly sat opposite her quickly, taking a long, calming breath through her nose.

"Very well," Benedict Valda proclaimed. "You may begin."

Myka was jiggling her left leg, an old habit when she was worried. There was a lot riding on these witches and their powers. She wasn't sure she even believed in magic, and here they were with an entire pack in the woods near them, ready to tear them apart if this spell showed them somehow to be guilty. Myka knew they weren't guilty of a thing, but that didn't matter, necessarily. Magic could be manipulated, right?

As she worried, Pete approached from the side of the house in his human form flanked by Jeff and Liam.

"Evening, Sheriff," he said, tipping an imaginary hat.

"Hey, Pete," she said, nodding at the other two. At least they had backup if this all went south.

As she looked out at the trees she saw a whisper of silver that became more defined, eventually taking the shape of a rather ghostly Marcus Diamond with a gun in his hand. From behind him came Walter Sykes, and Myka shuddered involuntarily at the image of her would-be rapist and murderer.

She stood up suddenly, realising that all the 'action' had taken place right here on her porch, and Helena followed her to stand next to Pete, Jeff and Liam, off to one side where they could see both sides of the silent conversation between the ghostly figures of Marcus Diamond, Walter Sykes and her past self, who was stood, frozen, on the porch. Myka watched in fascination as the ghostly image of herself put one hand in her back pocket, making the telephone call that summoned Helena and ultimately saved her life.

She watched with her heart in her throat as the ghostly figure of dog-Pete jumped at Walter, only to be shot in the chest by Marcus. There was a chorus of growls at that, from both next to her and from the trees where the pack was watching.

She saw herself scuffle with Sykes, and watched as she broke his nose. This time the triumph she felt wasn't a surprise. But when she saw how hard Marcus Diamond hit her, how many times he kicked her, in the face, in the throat, in the stomach, she could hear the weres all around growling, and Helena was standing behind her, suddenly, with her arms around Myka, and her growl was deep and rumbling and _terrifying_.

As it became clear that Marcus and Walter had been the perpetrators here, rather than Myka or Helena, Benedict Valda cleared his throat.

"I don't think we need to see anymore," he said, looking away in disgust as Walter Sykes began manhandling Myka's prone body in the ghostly scene on the porch. "It's clear that Marcus brought his fate on himself, as did this Sykes character. Sally, I'm afraid your petition is refused. You must…"

He stopped speaking in astonishment as a black panther, presumably Sally, launched itself across the yard and straight towards Myka. Myka stood frozen for a second before remembering the silver spray on her belt. While it was meant for vampires, it would work perfectly well on weres. She pulled it out and sprayed a mist directly in the face of the oncoming panther. The effect was instantaneous; Sally-as-panther let out a feline shriek and fell to the ground, writhing in pain and trying to clean her face with her front paws, only making matters worse as the silver then burned at her paws. Myka looked at her dispassionately, and after a moment Benedict Valda joined her.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff. Clearly Sally is overcome with horror at what her boyfriend did to you and is acting out of character as a result. You may consider this matter closed. Sally Stukowski will not bother you again."

Sally's outline had begun to blur and become liquid, and Mr Valda took off his jacket, spreading it over her form before she changed. He was an interesting character, this Benedict Valda – a contradiction in many ways. Myka thought it might be a good idea to keep him on side, and decided to speak to him at a later date to discuss allying the pack with the Sheriff's department, to keep all the townspeople safe, were and human.

At Valda's nod, two brawny men appeared, carefully putting on gloves despite the stifling heat, and they picked up Sally Stukowski carefully and carried her away into the trees. Before long only Myka, Helena, Pete and friends and the two witches were left in the yard. The spell had yet to run its course, apparently, and Myka watched in fascination as she watched Helena dispatch both Marcus and Walter within seconds. The vampire looked around her, chest heaving, which was odd since she didn't need to breathe, but Myka reasoned that it was just a conditioned response to rage. The ghostly Helena bit at her own wrist savagely, before lifting Myka's limp figure onto her lap and dripping blood into her mouth. Myka watched herself revive magically while Helena fed her blood to the naked figure of Pete Lattimer before picking Myka up and taking her indoors. After that she came outside and lifted Pete, blurring away into the trees.

"Well, that's all she wrote, folks," Kelly said, clapping her hands together once, and the candles that were placed at strategic points around the circle extinguished themselves. Leena shot her a filthy look.

"Show-off," she muttered, and Kelly laughed.

Helena's arms tightened around Myka. She turned in Helena's arms to look at the vampire.

"What's wrong, Helena?"

"I almost lost you," Helena murmured, her eyes black. With rage or pain, Myka couldn't tell.

"I'm here. You saved me," Myka said quietly, knowing that no matter how quiet she was, almost everyone could still hear her. She couldn't quite bring herself to care as she looked into Helena's eyes, the world seeming to still around them.

"Ahem," Pete said loudly. Myka took a deep breath and turned to him.

"What is it, Pete?"

"We're gonna take off, boss, if that's okay. Do you gals need a lift?" he asked suddenly, smiling roguishly at Kelly and Leena.

"Ah… that would be nice, actually," Leena murmured, smiling as she looked between Pete and Kelly. Kelly looked at her in surprise, and then shrugged.

"Sure," she said, smiling. They began to gather up their candles and they shuffled around in the sand circle together, disrupting the pattern they had drawn for their ritual. The weres and witches were gone within a minute or so and Myka's backyard suddenly felt too big and too quiet.

Myka and Helena walked back to the porch swing, and Myka noticed that they both avoided the part of the porch where Myka had lain, helpless, while Marcus Diamond beat the hell out of her and Walter Sykes tried to force his disgusting self on her.

"If I could kill him again, I would," Helena hissed, her teeth bared and a deep, rumbling growl beginning in her chest once again.

"He's gone, Helena," Myka said mildly, trying to dispel the nausea she felt at watching Walter Sykes' attempt at violating her. If Helena hadn't been there…

"I know. But I would kill him again. I will kill anyone who touches you…" the vampire growled.

"I think that's a bit of an overreaction, honey," Myka said as she sat in the porch swing, turning to face Helena with one leg up on the chair. "A lot of people touch me every day. That's kind of how we humans do things. Will you just try to relax, please? There was a threat, but it's over. You killed them for me and I am grateful, believe me. So let's just leave them in the past where they belong, okay?"

Helena nodded her assent, but her fangs were still extended and her eyes black. Myka heated some True Blood and made herself some tea, and they sat together for a while in silence, Myka leaning against Helena with Helena's arm around her abdomen.

"Where did you get that spray?" Helena asked suddenly.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. I got some new defences for my people from the New Orleans police. They have had to deal with a lot of out of control vampires since you all came out of the coffin," Myka said.

"Good," Helena said.

"You know, I didn't notice, but you didn't try to defend me from Sally. Why is that?" Myka asked, intrigued.

"Your heart rate increased, but only a tiny amount. You were not afraid, and I realised that you had some form of defence. I didn't expect that, however," Helena said, chuckling.

Myka didn't feel it was a good idea to mention that the reason she had been carrying the spray was Helena's daughter. They sat in silence for a long time, both processing what had happened.

"That was something, that spell," Myka mused. "I never realised magic existed, even with vampires and weres and everything. It was… weird, watching myself walking around like that."

Helena nodded.

"Yes, it is one of the matters our kind like to keep very quiet, I believe. To preserve the illusion that vampires have a virus, or whatever tosh it is that they're using as an excuse now, to deny the existence of the supernatural. I think that if the weres and shifters ever come out, as it were, there will be no way to deny it any longer."

Myka looked at her curiously. Technically, Helena was dead. Her pallor, her sometimes bluish colouring – she was actually dead, and walking. Myka couldn't figure out why that didn't bother her.

"You're thinking about the fact that I'm actually dead, aren't you?" Helena murmured, looking at her through half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah," Myka said, tilting her head slightly as she ran her eyes over Helena's face. "I don't know why, but it doesn't bother me. I guess when you've been able to hear people's thoughts since you were old enough to understand language, a little thing like you being dead isn't enough to freak me out."

Helena smiled at her.

"You really are the most unusual human I've ever met, Myka Bering," she said, her tone a little wondering.

"I guess I'm a little different," Myka allowed, with a half-smile.

"You are more than a little different, Myka. You accept things that would make others run or faint with only a blink. You are so curious and so fascinated by everything. And yet you are still terrified by what is inside you," Helena said, looking at Myka with her head slightly tilted, a spot of blood on her lip from the bottle she held in her hand.

"I'm not afraid," Myka said, protesting a little. She wasn't, was she?

"Perhaps not afraid. But you want to keep this ability locked up inside you, instead of taking Mr Nielsen's advice and using it, or at least controlling it enough that it doesn't make you suffer. That, I do not understand, Myka. As I said to you before, it is a disability now, and you have the means at your disposal to change that. I cannot understand why you wouldn't want to at least try."

"I… I don't know, Helena. I guess I feel like things are going okay – better than okay, right now, and I don't want to mess with that, you know?"

"And how would you learning to control this ability change things for the worse, Myka? I am not encouraging you to use it – that is up to you. But at the moment you have headaches, you are overcome by the emotion of others. If you learn to control it, you can at least block those things out. There are of course obvious advantages to a Sheriff who can hear the thoughts of suspects, but again, that would be up to you. So what is it you fear, my darling?"

Myka stared at her for a long moment. She was trembling. She wasn't sure why.

"I… I don't know," Myka said, her voice coming out in a raspy whisper.

"Come here, darling," Helena said, pulling Myka close and pulling the blanket from the back of the swing to wrap around her. She rocked the swing a little, running her fingers through Myka's hair gently.

"I did not mean to upset you, my love," Helena said softly. Myka carried on trembling, unable to articulate her fears. Her greatest fear was losing this, she realised. Losing Helena, being abandoned by another person she loved because of her gift.

Loved? When – how had that happened? She couldn't be in love with Helena, could she? It had only been just over a week, surely that wasn't long enough to fall in love?

"Are you okay, Myka?" Helena asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm fine, Helena," Myka said, suddenly clear. Regardless of what this was with Helena, losing her was a fear – a big one.

"I'm frightened that you'll leave me," she said, blurting it out before she could think better of it.

"You think that I will leave you if you can hear the thoughts of other humans?" Helena asked, sounding perplexed.

Myka shrugged.

"I didn't say it makes sense. I just – I have been hiding this for years, Helena. I was so scared that the people I cared for would reject me if they knew. So I guess now we're here, and we are what we are, and I don't want to lose that."

Helena turned Myka to face her fully.

"My love. I cannot promise to be here forever. I do not know what the future holds. But I can assure you that I would never leave you because of this ability of yours. It is in part what drew me to you, I think. You need not hide it from me, and it is my belief that mastering this ability will be good for you. So don't make any decision, Myka, based on fear of losing me."

Myka nodded. She would call Abigail tomorrow, take things from there. It was time to take control.

Helena carried her to bed chivalrously, but they didn't have sex. Helena just held her and kissed her, telling her how wonderful she was, how beautiful. Myka slept feeling safer than she'd ever felt, even as a child before her parents abandoned her.

The next day, Myka called Abigail first thing and made an appointment for that evening. It was surprising that Abigail always had time for her; thinking about the people in her own town, it seemed like a lot of people could do with that sort of help. Myka thought idly that she would recommend Abigail to anyone she thought might need the help. But that would involve telling people that she'd had therapy herself, which she wasn't keen on. She sighed and started dealing with the stacks of timesheets and requisition forms on her desk. Myka's day was long and boring, but she would take boring over exciting any day, especially lately.

She grabbed some True Blood on her way to Abigail's. There was only this one shop in the vicinity that sold it; no wonder Helena had been having such difficulty finding it. It made Myka's teeth clench when she thought about Helena feeding on any other humans. She resolved to find some way to get True Blood or one of the other synthetic blood products shipped to Helena, wherever she was living, so she didn't have to take blood from anyone but Myka.

Abigail was polite and welcoming as ever.

"So, how are you, Myka?" she asked, after they'd gone through the usual preliminaries of making coffee and talking about the weather (hot, humid).

"I'm fine, I guess," Myka said, shrugging slightly.

"You guess?" Abigail asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, I've been thinking about what you said, about what my gift could be like if I could use it, and I think that I should probably see if I can train it. It's holding me back as it is, giving me headaches, and when I'm around strong emotion, it can be… overwhelming," she said, wrapping her arms around herself as she remembered the waves of despair that had almost overtaken her when she broke the news to the twins' parents.

"Hey, Myka," Abigail said, touching her arm gently. "It's okay. Whatever happened, we can work through it. Have some coffee, you're trembling."

Myka wondered idly how long she'd been quiet before Abigail had decided to touch her to snap her out of it. She took a long swallow of the coffee, letting the heat of it warm her and the bitterness snap her back into the present.

"The twins – you heard about the girls we found?" she asked, and Abigail nodded, her face sympathetic and a little worried.

"When we went to break the news to their parents, I couldn't speak. Pete had to deal with the parents - I was paralysed – their grief, the despair they felt – it was rushing through me, and I couldn't block it out. I couldn't stop it. I very nearly lost it, Abigail. I went home and Helena found me – I don't know how long I was sitting in my backyard, just lost in that feeling. She made me drink something hot, she fed me. She kept me sane, that night. If she hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done, honestly. I… I need to get this under control. Even if I can never hear people's thoughts, I need to be able to block out other people's emotions at the very least."

"Okay, Myka. I agree. For your own safety, at the very least. I will recommend to Mrs Frederic and Mr Nielsen that you go back and start taking lessons on how to control this ability. But I think it would be beneficial for you to carry on seeing me for a while too. There's a lot I think it would do you good to talk through, to think through. What do you think?" she said, tilting her head.

"Yes, I agree," Myka said. She did agree; she knew she needed this, for now and for a long time to come, maybe.

That night she barely spoke to Helena, practically dragging her to bed and making love to her with abandon, over and over. Helena seemed to sense her need and spoke little, matching her intensity and using her fangs in places that made Myka yelp and squirm, halfway between pain and pleasure. She wore Myka out thoroughly, and she had to admit defeat, falling asleep once again wrapped in Helena's arms.

The next morning she received a call from Sally Stukowski on behalf of Arthur Nielsen. The woman was all sugar and sweetness, and Myka responded in kind, not knowing how to handle the woman at all. Arthur wanted her to come by around 3, sober and ready to concentrate, Sally said, her tone apologetic.

"Sure," Myka said, uneasy. "I'll be there."

She decided she would bring her new anti-vampire defences, including her gun – silver was effective against weres so if Sally had anything planned, Myka would at least have some way to defend herself.

The rest of her day – a Saturday – was spent tending her garden, running on her treadmill for an hour and going to the local pool for a swim. She had been neglecting her fitness because of the heat – the idea of running in the heat and humidity was ridiculous. But she had air conditioning and a treadmill, so really she had no excuse.

She arrived at Arthur Nielsen's office at 3 o'clock sharp, her service weapon in an underarm holster. She needn't have bothered, however, since Sally wasn't even there.

"She works Saturday mornings, Sheriff Bering. Why are you so concerned about Sally Stukowski?" Arthur Nielsen asked, appearing as suddenly as if he'd transported in, like Star Trek. Maybe he had; Myka had no idea if demons had that kind of power.

"Do you know what happened with Walter Sykes and Marcus Diamond, Mr Nielsen?" she asked politely. Clearly he could read her easily; there was no point in trying to hide it.

"I was aware that Marcus had disappeared, although Sally thinks very little about Mr Sykes. I picked up on what happened, from her point of view at least. But even she can't delude herself into thinking that you were at fault for what Diamond tried to do. Succeeded in doing, in fact. Without your vampire you would be dead," he said, suddenly serious.

"Yes," she said, simply.

"Well, come in, and let's talk," he said, brusquely, filling a cup with coffee from the machine in the corner and passing it to her. They made their way into his office and he sat down, looking at her silently for a long moment.

"Vanessa is very impressed with you," he said, finally.

"She's a very impressive person herself," Myka said, unaccountably warmed by his comment. Dr Calder was impressive, and to be held in high esteem by her – well, it felt good.

"She thinks that you are a good person, Sheriff, and despite Sally's accusations and lies, I agree with her. I would like to help you fix what has broken, and I will, if you wish, teach you to block the gift as much as you desire. If it is something you want, it is possible to block your gift permanently with magic. I would urge you, however, to think long and hard before making that decision. Your ability is a gift, in the most literal sense of the word. Passed to you from Mr Cataliades himself. Your bloodline is special, Myka, and I would hate to see you turn down this birthright," he said, astonishing Myka.

"Okay," she said carefully. "I have a whole lot of questions about that, Mr Nielsen, but what about if we just concentrate on trying to get my gift under control for now? You know what happened when I was breaking the news to the twins' parents?"

He nodded.

"Well, I can't afford for that to happen. Christina – she's dangerous, and if she knows I have this weakness, she might try to use it against me."

"She's your vampire's daughter?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes," she said.

"Why on earth would she turn her own daughter?" he asked, disgusted.

"She was dead," Myka said. "I don't think Helena was thinking straight. She was grieving, Mr Nielsen. I don't think people generally make sensible decisions in those circumstances. She's a good person," she insisted, her voice sincere.

"Hmmph," he said, but he said nothing more about Helena.

He led her through a series of breathing exercises, and his advice for now was simple.

"Listen. Open your mind, touch people - it helps. You have ingested vampire blood, which will increase the strength of your gift for a while. Touch will help you re-open your mind. Listen, always. Do these exercises often, visualise your mind as a flower opening, or whatever image works best for you, in terms of visualising your mind opening, the door of that room in which your ability is locked being opened, the key turning. Whatever works for you, Sheriff. I will see you in a few days, and we will see if anything has changed."

She nodded, leaning over to shake his hand and thank him. She drove home and made herself a steak and potatoes, chugging a beer along with her dinner. She hadn't drunk anything since that night she'd thrown up in the bushes. She figured one beer wouldn't hurt, however.

She went out to the porch just before sundown to find Pete lying there in dog form. His tail started wagging as soon as she opened the door.

"Hey, Pete," she said, leaning over to scratch his ears. "Everything okay?"

He nodded, and she relaxed.

"You just come for the company?" she asked, and he whined uncertainly. Clearly it was one of those questions that couldn't be answered with a simple yes or no.

"Okay, well you're welcome to stay as long as you don't listen in on anything private. I have a little steak left over – you want it?"

His bark was loud and piercing, and very decisive. She smiled and went into the house, grabbing the steak and a few leftover potatoes, mixing it up with a little gravy from the pan. She got him a bowl of water too, bringing it all out on the porch for him. He ate the food in what looked like about four gulps, slopping up some of the water with his huge tongue afterwards, and then he jumped up on Myka's knee, unexpectedly, licking her face from chin to hairline.

"Pete!" she yelled, giggling at the odd sensation. Pete the dog was clearly as much of an ass as his human counterpart.

"Deputy Lattimer, would you like to retain that tongue of yours? If so, I suggest you keep it away from the Sheriff's face in future," Helena said, and dog-Pete yelped, jumping off Myka's knee and hiding under the porch swing.

"That'll teach him," Myka said wryly, wiping her face with a sleeve. "Hi, by the way," she said to Helena, leaning over to kiss her. Helena backed off, holding up a hand.

"No kissing, Sheriff, until you have washed that slobber from your face," she said, her face a picture of disgust. Myka laughed.

"You want some True Blood while I'm inside?" she asked lightly, and Helena nodded, smiling.

She washed her face and heated up Helena's drink.

"How was your day then, my love?" Helena asked, taking the True Blood with a smile.

"Well," Myka said, "I saw Arthur Nielsen, and he gave me some work to do, to try and reopen my mind to other people's thoughts. He says that my ability will be stronger because I ingested your blood. And it's stronger when I touch people. So I guess my homework is to try to touch people, try to listen. He gave me lots of breathing exercises to do, and visualisations."

Helena looked at her carefully for a long moment.

"You're sure this is what you want, love? I don't want you to feel that I have pushed you into this," she said, her brow creasing slightly.

"You didn't push me into this, Helena," Myka said sincerely. "You pointed out very logically that I need to get it under control before I get hurt. I could easily have killed myself last week; it was a close thing."

Pete whimpered from under the bench.

"It's okay, Pete. I'm fine now."

He made his way out slowly, watching Helena carefully, and put his head on Myka's knee, looking at her mournfully.

"Really, I'm fine," she said, petting his head gently. "I was overwhelmed by the Catherine and John's emotions. It's because I don't really have a handle on this gift, I guess."

"Okay," Pete said, in her head, and she jumped a little.

"Wow," she said, to both Pete and Helena. "It really does work better with touch. Could you tell me something, Pete? Something I don't know?"

"Kelly Hernandez and I are seeing each other," he said, distinctly, and she smiled, wanting to squeal.

"He's seeing Kelly Hernandez, the witch from the other night," Myka said to Helena.

"I know," Helena said. "I can smell her on him."

"Really?" Myka asked, fascinated. "That's amazing."

"And gross," Pete said, obviously grumpy that Helena had threatened him earlier. Myka laughed.

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?" Helena asked, a soft smile on her face.

"Well, yeah!" Myka said, shrugging. She put her hand back on Pete's head. "I can hear him talking in my head, and it's clear and there's no buzzing. It's amazing. As soon as I take my hand off though," she said, demonstrating, "the buzzing comes back. It's okay when he's a dog," she mused, stroking his nose absently, "because the noise is a lot smaller. I can barely hear the buzzing. But when it's a lot of people – it's horrible. Like being stuck right next to the speaker at a gig with a million people shouting all at once. You can't hear anything, but your brain is still trying to pick out individual voices and words. It's exhausting," she said, finally.

"I see," Helena said. "That sounds… tiring, to say the least."

"Yeah," Myka said wryly.

Pete rubbed his face on her knee and then went to sit next to the porch swing, turning in a circle several times before flopping down with a sigh.

"So, that's what I did today," Myka said with a smile. Helena leaned over and kissed her gently.

"I am proud of you, Myka. This must have been a difficult decision for you, and I am proud of your courage in taking this step," she murmured. Myka kissed her, then, and they began to kiss in earnest, Helena's fangs extending inside Myka's mouth. Myka tasted them with her tongue, and then remembered Pete.

"Okay, Lattimer, time for you to go," she said, gesturing at him. He whined and shook his head, and she stared at him for a minute. She felt like she could almost – almost hear him, like a whisper.

"Come here," she said, and he stood, turning to place his head in her hands.

"I need to stay with you. Mrs Frederic's orders," he said, an overtone of worry in his mind.

"Why?" she asked out loud.

"I don't know, Myka. She doesn't tell me the why."

"Okay, but you stay downstairs, okay?"

He nodded, and they went inside, Myka placing a soft blanket on the couch for him to snuggle into. She and Helena went to bed, enjoying each other, while Pete the dog stayed awake downstairs, his eyes open and his mind worried. Mrs Frederic had been very clear; Myka was in danger, and it was his job to look after her. He wouldn't fail her again like he had with Diamond and Sykes.


	11. Chapter 11

_Myka's abilities develop and Sally takes exception to Mr Valda's decision._

* * *

A few days passed and Myka took every opportunity she could to read those around her. She grazed people's hands as she passed or with some, just touched a shoulder or an arm. It was, in itself, an exercise in opening herself to others. She had been closed off, pulled in, for such a long time. Sam had brought her out of herself, as had her foster parents, but when Sam died and she moved South, she had hidden so much of herself that she was essentially closed off to any new friendships, new relationships. Helena and her silence had changed all of that.

Claudia, it turned out, babbled just as much inside her head as she did in person. And she most often said what she was thinking, which was a rare thing, in Myka's experience. Leena thought about little, not in a way that suggested she wasn't intelligent, but she just lived in a sort of peace that translated into her thoughts. She had never spoken much so Myka supposed that it stood to reason that her brain would be quiet.

Pete she had already tried to read. Steve was serene and quiet, his thoughts as quiet as he himself was. Jeff's mind was disciplined and preoccupied, thinking about his next task at all times. The military influence, if she had to guess. He was closed off in a lot of ways too, but easy to read once she had touched him gently on the arm. Fortunately he didn't take it as an invitation, although he was clearly confused by why she'd suddenly become the kind of person to grasp an arm when saying good morning.

 _"Is she coming on to me?"_ he mused, his thoughts quiet, not panicked. _"I thought she was with the vampire. I guess I'll just have to be polite."_ Then his brain turned to his scheduled patrol, and Myka smiled to herself. This was a guy she didn't have to worry about, which was a relief.

Liam was a wide open window. She barely needed a touch to read him – despite his outward appearance of discipline, he was, mentally speaking, unfettered. He was happy and content and a lot of his thoughts centred around Steve, who he'd apparently had a few dates with.

Myka went to see Dr Calder on the third day after she'd spoken to Artie, asking if she would mind assisting Myka with her mental exercises. Dr Calder – who insisted Myka address her as Vanessa – went through the breathing exercises with her, and it wasn't long after that Myka had her first real breakthrough. She heard Dr Calder's thought without touching her.

" _Yellow_ ," she heard, distinctly.

Myka gaped.

"Did you just think 'yellow'?"

Dr Calder grinned broadly at her.

"Yes! Congratulations, Myka. You're getting there. In a few weeks I bet your gift will be a lot more usable, and a lot less headache inducing."

Myka smiled. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

She and Helena had spent the last few nights together at her house, but Helena had turned up late a couple of times, without explaining why. Myka decided not to ask, since Helena obviously didn't want to talk about it. But she watched, and she wondered what was going on in her vampire's head.

After she went to see Dr Calder, Myka clocked off a little early, leaving Steve in charge, and she took a long bath before dinner. When Helena arrived, Myka was uneasy, still, her earlier thoughts about Helena running through her mind over and over. How could she really ever know if Helena cared about her? She knew she was wanted, but perhaps it was just her blood that made her attractive. She was certainly giving up enough of it; she had started taking iron tablets to replenish what Helena was taking from her during sex. Not that she minded, of course. It was almost as pleasurable for her as it was for Helena – at least so far as she could tell.

Thinking about her blood, whether that was the thing that Helena was really here for - it made her a little tense, and Helena noticed. She offered to massage Myka, which led to one of the most intensely pleasurable massages Myka had ever experienced, followed by one of the most intense sexual experiences she'd ever had. Not that she had many to compare it to, in all fairness, but this time, for some reason, was all intensity and beauty and wonder, and Myka couldn't work out why it felt so incredibly different. She was still learning about Helena's body and what worked for her, but it seemed like every touch between them that night was amplified. Myka was disappointed to wake up alone, but in one way she was a little relieved. Things between them were wonderful, but also intense. Not being able to read Helena was presenting Myka with a problem. While she could never be sure if Sam loved her without a fully working ability, she at least could feel the echo of his feelings, and sometimes she could hear him when they were having sex. But with Helena she had no idea whatsoever, and she didn't want this thing between them to become the kind of sex obsession that Helena had described with some of her former human lovers. In addition to that, she had no real idea how Helena felt about her, and would never be able to read that from her even if she was able to train her ability to be useful – she would just have to trust that what Helena said was true. And then there was Helena turning up late without any explanation. The uncertainty was an uncomfortable feeling, and one she wasn't ready to deal with.

That day was a blur of paperwork and was punctuated with a visit from Mrs Frederic, who wanted to know how the investigation was proceeding. Myka could tell her little, but the Mayor seemed satisfied with what she did say. When she was leaving, however, she shocked Myka a little.

"Sheriff, I understand that Mr Sykes and Mr Diamond have not been seen for a while. Mrs Sykes contacted me a few days ago to mention that Walter hadn't been home for a while. Perhaps it's time to submit a missing persons report for both? Appearances are important."

And then she swept out, leaving a gaping Myka in her wake. Was it possible that Mrs Frederic was aware of what had actually happened? She seemed to know a lot, but surely she couldn't know everything, right?

Myka decided to go for a run that evening before sundown. It had been a cool day by Mississippi standards, and although that didn't mean much, it meant that she could run without drowning in her own sweat. She pulled on her running gear when she arrived home and was surprised to be greeted by Pete Lattimer in dog form when she stepped out her back door.

"Hey, Pete, what's up? I'm going for a run, do you need something?"

He shook his head carefully.

"Did you want to come with?" she asked, curious and slightly concerned.

He nodded, his brown eyes wide and pleading.

"Okay, but I'm going to listen to some music, okay? If you need me, just touch me," she said, and he barked in a way that felt like a yes. She nodded at him and stretched a little before taking off down a trail she'd used when the weather had been less oppressive. It was a beautiful evening, and there was even a cool breeze. She let the music lift her spirits and she let her mind drift, the familiar and pleasant burn of her muscles taking over as she slowly sped up, the dog keeping pace with her, bounding along in pure joy. Dog-Pete was so different from regular Pete. Her deputy was hard-working and mostly serious, but in his dog form she could feel how free he felt, his mind pulsing happily as he ran. She let her mind wander and she didn't notice right away when Pete fell behind, but she definitely noticed when a large, heavy _something_ hit her square in the back, making her fall straight onto her face, so quickly that she was unable even to get her hands up to catch herself. The pain was excruciating – her nose broke, the pain radiating through her face in sickening waves. Blood flowed freely onto the ground as the heavy weight bore her down, pushing her face into the dried mud of the trail. She didn't know what was happening, couldn't see anything or move with the weight bearing down on her. The pain of the sharp claws digging into her back, therefore, was a surprise, and not a pleasant one, making her scream in pain. The jaws that closed around the back of her neck, the teeth that entered the side of her neck – they silenced the pain from her back almost immediately. They tightened and things in her neck crunched, and that pain eclipsed what the claws were doing lower down.

There were plenty of minds around this trail – families lived nearby and there were others like her who ran here, not to mention dog walkers and the like. Myka hadn't been paying attention, listening with her brain or her ears, so all of it was a horrible, horrible shock, and she could feel her mind detach from it, watching it all as if from far away. She felt the claws in her lower back dig in, kicking the way a cat's do when they're trying to eviscerate someone, and the malice in the mind behind her made her realise. _Sally._ She screamed in pain, dirt filling her mouth from the trail.

Even the music pumping in her ears wasn't enough to hide the roar of the bear, and she lifted one hand slowly to pull out one of her earbuds, to try to hear what was happening. She was having trouble moving, but her mind wasn't processing that right then. She was looking to her left, trying to turn her head to see what happened, when the weight disappeared from her back and the panther's body was slammed to the ground next to her. There was a bear on top of the panther with its jaws in her throat – Pete. He could shift into anything, Myka realised dully. Sally, in her were form, died right there with Pete's jaws around her windpipe, her eyes staring into Myka's, hatred burning in them as she died.

Myka stared at the dead eyes, her own filling with tears. Marcus Diamond, Walter Sykes – they had caused this, this needless death. And Myka was – Myka was pretty sure she was paralysed, at least partially. She couldn't feel her legs, her torso. She could still breathe, so she figured her lungs weren't paralysed, or at least not yet.

"Mykes, I'm so sorry, she grabbed me and knocked me against a tree and she had a friend with her, she kept me away, that's how she got to you… God damn it all to hell, Mrs Frederic warned me to keep an eye on you. I need to get you to a doctor, just hang on for me, okay?"

She could hear Pete but not see him. The dead panther was changing back into the naked form of Sally Stukowski. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see any more death. She had had her fill of death a long time ago.

She heard people bustling around, familiar voices. Benedict Valda and his pack. They took the body away and she heard him speak to her, apologise, but she was drifting away. She wasn't sure how much damage Sally had done, but she suspected it was a lot.

When she woke there was someone licking her neck.

"Ah, good, you're awake, Sheriff." The voice was unfamiliar, and it belonged to whoever – or whatever – was currently licking the wound on her neck.

"Who are you?" she managed, but it came out more like "ooh aa oo." Her facial muscles were not working well, and enunciating properly was impossible. Not that correct diction was necessarily the biggest problem she had right then.

Pete's face popped into view. She was lying on some sort of table, facedown, with the nameless person on her back, licking her neck. Strangers licking her neck. This was what her life had become, she thought idly. The person was nearly weightless, or so it felt to Myka.

"Sheriff? You with me?" Pete asked, looking at her anxiously.

She managed a tiny nod, and he looked relieved.

"Dr Ludwig is dealing with the wounds, cleaning them out. Cat's claws and teeth are so dirty, especially werepanthers. This should make sure there's no chance of you turning into a half-were. Sally's dead. She won't be bothering you again."

She closed her eyes, seeing the light go out in the panther's yellow eyes, the hatred fading into blankness.

"I've called Helena, and once we get to sundown she'll be here, I know it, boss. She'll give you her blood and we'll get you healed. Dr Ludwig will keep you with us for now, Sheriff. I'm so sorry, they blindsided me, came from downwind. I should have been in a different form; they thought they could take me out because I was in my dog form. I fucked up, Myka. I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes pleading.

"Don't worry, Pete," she tried to say, but her mouth mangled the words, and she closed her eyes again. She was so tired. Whatever the doctor was doing was making her drift off.

When she woke again, it was in Helena's arms. She was in a bed she didn't recognise, a room she didn't recognise, but Helena's arms were around her and she could feel Helena's body against hers. She could _feel_. The skin against hers was cool and Helena's mind was silent, as always. She sighed in relief.

"Where are we?" she asked, relishing the sharpness of her pronunciation. She wiggled her toes for the pure pleasure of it.

"We are at my house," Helena said, turning Myka slightly so that she could look at her.

"I didn't know you had a house," Myka said, looking at Helena curiously. Helena stared, her eyes wide, her pupils huge.

"You almost died, Myka. That filthy were tried to take your life," she ground out, her fangs snapping out, her chest rumbling.

"I did," Myka said, still looking at Helena curiously. "You gave me your blood again?"

Helena nodded, her eyes furious.

"There's no-one to kill, Helena. She's dead already," Myka said gently. "When did you buy a house?"

Helena blinked, and her pupils began to contract, the brown of the iris showing.

"I bought it a few days ago. After we… I couldn't bear to think of leaving. Claudia was able to arrange it for me," Helena said, seeming confused.

"Well, that's good news," Myka said, searching Helena's eyes. "You gonna kiss me, vampire?"

"What? Helena asked, still looking confused.

"Are you going to kiss me, vampire? Or are you just gonna sit there and look at me? I thought you vamps were supposed to be good in bed?" she taunted, twirling a lock of hair round her fingers casually as she looked at Helena from beneath lowered lashes.

Helena growled and crushed Myka to her, kissing her so hard that she knew she would have fang marks on her lips the next day. But it didn't matter, because Helena's anger was changing, turning into a burning lust that she plainly couldn't control. Which was what Myka had intended, taunting the vampire into fiery need that burned them both. Her mouth trailed down Myka's body, her fangs leaving twin red lines down her chest and belly, and her mouth was _on_ Myka suddenly. Myka's head slammed back against the pillow as Helena sucked on her, fingers sliding inside her, suddenly merciless and harsh and _incredible_. When Myka screamed out her release, Helena sank her teeth into Myka's thigh, sucking blood from her there, making Myka come again and again until she was seeing stars and realising that this was what Helena meant when she said sex with a vampire was addictive, overwhelming. Because Myka could barely think, could barely do anything but react to the storm, the physical sensation roaring through her. Helena had been holding back, before, and now she wasn't, and Myka was helpless to do anything but cry out her pleasure into the Mississippi night.

The next morning, Myka woke, confused and disoriented, in Helena's bed. She wasn't physically tired, but mentally – she didn't have any idea what was going on. Her body had been through the mill in the last few weeks – she'd almost died twice, now, and Helena had saved her both times. Without Helena, she wouldn't be alive. She had experienced paralysis and what it was like to feel her blood flooding her lungs, to feel her bones break, and to wake up unharmed. It would take a normal person a lot of time to process that, and she wasn't anywhere near normal.

She looked around – the room was furnished beautifully with antiques that somehow still managed to look comfortable. The bedframe was wrought iron but the mattress appeared to be memory foam. It was incredibly comfortable.

Helena had left her another note on the nightstand.

 _Myka_

 _My love. Last night I lost control and I fear that I will have scared you away. Please allow me the chance to explain. There is also something you need to know about the exchange of blood. Please, if you will, come back here tonight for dinner._

 _With my most fervent apologies_

 _Helena_

Myka's forehead creased in confusion. She had goaded Helena into losing control, and while it had been slightly frightening in some ways, it had also been incredible. Myka had no regrets, none at all, when it came to Helena.

She moved around, checking out the room and the others next to it. There were several beautiful guest rooms and a huge bathroom with a bath that could easily fit both of them, with room for more.

The downstairs rooms were much the same. While fitted out in an antique style, the furniture looked comfortable and everything went well together. There was a huge library with a writing desk in it, and Myka noticed with some surprise that there were a number of what appeared to be manuscripts on the desk. She buried her desire to snoop at those, thinking that would be a step too far.

The kitchen was huge, packed with every possible modern convenience, which Myka found incredibly funny, for some reason. There were at least two microwaves, and Myka wondered idly whether Helena had vampire friends who she'd be inviting round – and what they would be like. The way Pete had described them, other vampires weren't as pleasant as Helena.

When she had satisfied her curiosity she had a shower in the luxurious bathroom, and dressed in the fresh uniform Helena had left out for her. She wondered who had retrieved her clothing and possessions and brought them here. Was it Helena or Pete?

She found her car outside, and once again wondered how it had arrived there. She looked around the neighbourhood, which was an older area of the town, primarily populated with the richer – and usually the oldest – members of the community. There were no houses in the immediate vicinity of Helena's. Myka drove to the station and when she stepped inside, Leena was waiting for her.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Sheriff," she murmured, drawing Myka through the door and to her office, passing her a coffee. Myka stared at her in bemusement.

"What do you mean, Leena?" she asked, her eyes crinkling up in confusion.

 _"I mean I'm glad Pete was able to keep you alive, that my gift did what it was supposed to."_

"What?" Myka asked.

"I didn't say anything, Ma'am," Leena said, her eyes widening.

 _"My God she can hear me without even touching me now, must be the vampire blood. Look at her, she looks strong and her hair is lighter and her eyes are like crystal…"_

"Woah, slow down, Leena…" Myka said, sitting down suddenly on her desk chair. She could hear Leena and she wasn't touching her. She'd been doing her exercises, thinking of doors opening into a field, hearing everything around her… but this was too quick and too complete.

Leena was just staring at her, and she was saying nothing, and thinking nothing – deliberately. Myka thought for a moment about what Leena had said the first time.

"You're the one with precognitive abilities?" she asked, taking off her hat and scratching her head for a moment.

"Yes," Leena said reluctantly.

"You told Mrs Frederic to have Pete watch me?" Myka asked, taking a sip of the hot coffee. It was delicious, a really deep flavour that it didn't normally have.

"Yes," Leena said.

 _"I can see things sometimes, and other times it's just a feeling. I knew you were in danger, but not from whom or why. I did what I could. We failed you with Walter Sykes and Marcus Diamond and I didn't want to do that again. If the other werepanther hadn't attacked Pete he would have been able to save you. I didn't see it because Sally decided at the last minute to ask the other were to come along."_

"It's okay, Leena. You did what you could. Helena was able to save me. It isn't ideal, but it's certainly not your fault."

Leena nodded carefully.

 _"Thank you."_

Myka nodded, and Leena left her to her thoughts. This was unexpected – more than unexpected. Mrs Frederic clearly had more interest in her than she'd thought, and Leena was some sort of psychic. Myka might have been sceptical about the existence of that kind of ability before; she wasn't anymore. Meeting the were pack and Pete – not to mention her own ability - had left her open to most possibilities.

Thinking about openness made her wonder how she was going to deal with hearing everything that people were thinking again clearly, like she had when she was a kid, before everything had gone so wrong for her. She felt an irrational fear of losing what she'd found here – Helena, her budding friendships with Pete, Claudia, Steve, Leena – even Dr Calder and Artie Nielsen. But, she reminded herself, each and every one of those people didn't fit in, in one way or another, and none of them were the type to ostracise her for being different. It felt strange, to know that she was so different, and that it didn't matter to Helena, or Pete, or even Mrs Frederic. She was wanted here, for all that she was, not in spite of what she was.

Her morning was quiet, until a dishevelled looking Pete Lattimer came into her office and closed the door. His mind was racing.

 _"God I hope she doesn't hate me I tried but I didn't expect there to be two of them I did my best… Goddammit, why is she looking at me like that? I don't want to tell her this, but she needs to know…"_

"Tell me what, Pete?" she asked, steepling her fingers and leaning forward on her desk.

His mouth fell open.

"You can hear? Like, properly?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Looks like Sally did me a favour, in a way. The vamp blood has made my ability stronger and I can hear without touching, now. I guess I just need to learn how to block it out, now, and I'm all set."

He bounded around the desk and pulled her to her feet and into a hug.

"That's amazing, Mykes. I'm so glad."

He squeezed her for a second and she let him, but then pushed him away, as he smelled sweaty and unwashed. He stepped back, his eyes widening.

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Do what?" she asked, but his mind was already telling her what she needed to know.

 _"How did she move me like that I'm a were and she's a human, she shouldn't be able to get me to move an inch if I don't want to."_

She poked him in the chest and he fell backwards a little.

"Seriously, how?"

She put her hands on his waist and lifted him off his feet, setting him down gently a second later. It was effortless, and she grinned widely.

"Another side benefit of vampire blood," she said lightly, "along with the increase in mental powers or whatever. Leena said she thought my hair was lighter and my eyes were brighter or something?"

He gaped at her for a moment, scratching at his head.

"Is that… is it safe? To have that much vamp blood in your system? What's the downside, here?"

She thought about it for a moment, sitting down again at her desk and gesturing for him to take the seat opposite. Leena came in and out silently, bringing fresh coffee and donuts, the latter of which Pete tore into without ceremony. Myka looked at him with barely disguised disgust.

"Well, Helena said there's some stuff I need to know, about the exchange of blood. I'll ask her tonight. I imagine there is a downside, because when isn't there?" she sighed.

He nodded ruefully, sending a small cloud of powdered sugar over the paperwork in Myka's in tray.

"So, what is it you're afraid to tell me, Pete?" she asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

 _"Man she's gonna kill me how can I tell her…"_

"Just open your mouth and spill it, Lattimer," she snapped, and his back straightened immediately.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, seemingly automatically, and she groaned internally.

"When Sally attacked us, I told you that there was another were. She pinned me down and it took me a minute to change forms and shake her off. I knocked her out and Mr Valda took her away for questioning. It seems that Sally had a bit of a plan, to mess with you and your life. She sent the other werepanther to Colorado before we did that magic thing."

Myka's mind abruptly screeched to a halt. Did the woman attack Jack and Rebecca?

"She found your mom and dad – your birth mom and dad, and your younger sister. Tracy?"

Myka nodded slightly, feeling a little faint.

"She bit her, Mykes. She bit Tracy."

Myka took a deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth, and again. She closed her eyes until she felt like she was calm enough to speak.

"So, is she alive?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed.

"She's alive. She wasn't too badly injured, but she's gonna change – at least partially - at the full moon, Myka, and she won't know what the hell is happening to her. You need to get her down here, or at least get her in touch with her local pack. Is she married?"

Myka shrugged.

"Honestly, Pete, I don't know. I haven't seen Tracy since the day the social worker took me away."

"Wow. It's gonna be a hell of a family reunion," he muttered. Myka shot him an evil look.

"Not helpful, Pete. Not helpful at all."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm so sorry, Myka."

"It's okay, Pete. None of this is your fault."

 _"If I'd kept her safe Helena wouldn't have had to kill Marcus and maybe none of this would have happened, she would be safe and her sister would be safe and she wouldn't be all high from the damn vampire blood…"_

"Pete, it's not your fault. You did your best. What were you supposed to do? You defended me against Marcus. He had to have known you were a shifter, and he shot you. I would assume that's against some sort of code, or something. He was a son of a bitch and he got what he deserved."

Weirdly, she started laughing. She'd called him a son of a bitch, and he was literally a son of a bitch, because he was a werewolf. Pete, unfortunately, couldn't read _her_ mind and was staring at her as if she'd completely lost it. She laughed until her stomach hurt, and Pete just sat there, his mind racing on. She tuned him out, surprised at the ease with which she was able to do it, and continued giggling until the fit passed.

"I'm sorry, Pete," she said, wiping away tears. "I think I just lost it for a minute there…"

"Ah, sure Mykes. I understand. It's a bit of a fucked up situation, I get it."

"I don't even know how to approach them," she muttered, her head in her hands.

"Well, I would be happy to come along, Myka. She's gonna need to see, I think, before she believes."

"Maybe," Myka said, shrugging slightly.

"Well, let me know what you want to do, and I'll be there, okay?" he said.

"Sure," she said, shaking her head.

"There is one more thing," he said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" she asked, starting to feel weary.

"The werepanther who attacked us – Valda wants you to go over there and decide what to do about her."

"What?" she asked. "He wants me to decide? What do they usually do if a were hurts someone?"

"Kill 'em," he said, shrugging. She stood up straight away, grabbing her hat.

"No way," she said, grinding her teeth slightly. "No more death. I'm so sick of it. Take me there now, Lattimer."

"Yes, Ma'am," was the inevitable answer, along with a tip of the hat. She sighed inwardly and followed him to his cruiser.


	12. Chapter 12

Valda was holding the nameless were in an abandoned Warehouse on the other end of town. It only took a few minutes to drive there but it was, nonetheless, incredibly isolated. It was surrounded by overgrown vegetation and rusting cars; plainly it had not been used in some time.

They made their way cautiously to the door, which was large and rusted and looked like it hadn't been opened in years. Pete grabbed the handle dubiously and the door swung open smoothly. They shared surprised looks and walked in, finding themselves in a small hallway with a door at the end, guarded by a tall, leather-clad biker with a giant reddish beard that looked like it could accommodate several families.

"Who are you?" he growled. His mind glowed redly against Myka's but she couldn't hear him thinking anything; perhaps because he wasn't. He didn't look like the sharpest tool in the box.

"We're here to see Mr Valda," Myka growled back, since who they were was very clear, given their uniforms.

 _She's hot…_

Great. Another Neanderthal.

"Well?" she demanded, as they reached the door. He looked at her uncertainly.

"Mr Valda said no-one was supposed to get in," he said, almost plaintively. He seemed to be waiting for her to resolve the problem for him.

"Is Mr Valda here?" she asked, more gently this time.

"No," he said, his face screwed up in concentration.

"Can you call him?" she suggested.

His face brightened.

"Sure, I'll call him and he can tell me if it's okay!" he said, his face brightening. Myka and Pete shared a look.

"That's a great idea, buddy," Pete said, and the dude gave him a bright smile before pulling out a cellphone and making the call, which consisted mostly of "No, Mr Valda," and "Yes, Mr Valda." He hung up the phone and pulled the door open quickly.

"Mr Valda says to go right in. He'll be here in ten minutes."

"Thank you," Myka said sweetly, and he blushed, the bright red of his complexion showing even through the beard.

They went inside and there was nothing but a huge empty space, and a woman chained to a chair in the middle of the room. Her face was bruised and bloodied, and she was unconscious. The metal chair was welded to the floor.

"Jesus," Myka hissed, walking over swiftly to walk around the woman. She didn't appear to be too badly injured other than her face. She was blonde and probably really pretty when her face wasn't swelled up beyond all recognition.

"I did that," Pete admitted quietly. "I had to knock her out to get past her and get Sally off you."

"Shit," Myka said, taking her hat off and scratching at her head distractedly. "What the hell do we do now?"

"I don't know, Mykes. It might seem harsh, but Sally was trying to kill you. And she turned your sister into a half-were. She doesn't really deserve your pity."

Myka looked at him sharply.

"You think people should be able to make their own justice, Pete? Just because they're supernatural beings?"

"No, not really. But sometimes there's nothing else you can do. Like Sykes and Diamond – you really want to have to put Helena through a trial when all she did was save your life?"

She considered that for a moment.

"No, I guess you're right. But this woman, whoever she is – she deserves a hearing, at least. We don't know what Sally told her."

Myka pinched the bridge of her nose, taking in a deep breath.

"I don't know what to do, Pete," she admitted.

"Me either," he said, gesturing helplessly.

"Perhaps I can help with that," Benedict Valda said crisply. He was well dressed in a black suit and snowy white shirt, open at the collar, with no tie.

Myka turned to greet him, shaking his hand firmly.

"Mr Valda, it's nice to see you," she said.

"And you, Sheriff. I'm pleased to see you've recovered from the unfortunate incident you were subjected to by a member of my pack. I'm so very sorry that I didn't anticipate this. Sally was on her best behaviour. Perhaps I should have expected it."

"It's not your fault, Mr Valda," Myka said, shaking her head. "Sally tried to attack me after the witches did their thing last week; we all should have seen it coming."

He tilted his head.

"You are an unusual woman, Sheriff. Very forgiving, considering that you almost died."

"Yes, well. I didn't, and I understand that you paid the doctor for looking after me."

"It was the very least I could do," Valda said, with a small bow.

"I appreciate it, Mr Valda."

"You are most welcome, Sheriff. Now, concerning this were. She attacked you and Mr Lattimer, and she has turned your sister without her consent. These are crimes punishable by death in our culture, but I understand that you are the law in this area, and I would like your input into this decision," he said, walking around the were, his hands folded behind his back. He was a rather grandiose sort of man, but Myka still liked him, despite his strange ways.

"I would like to talk to her, ideally," Myka said, her eyes narrowed. She really didn't like the idea of people being killed because of the authority of one man, whether he be a pack leader or the president. That sort of power should only rest with a court, and not even then, in her opinion. Killing a person was not the answer.

 _"But you were fine when it was Helena who got away with killing two someones, even if it was in your defence,"_ her brain reminded her. She shrugged uncomfortably, her own hypocrisy not sitting well with her either.

Mr Valda was holding up the bruised woman's head and gently pouring a small amount of water into her mouth. She coughed a little and lifted her head groggily.

"What…?" she asked, her eyes widening when she took in her location and who was offering her water.

"You are here, Amanda Martin, because you attacked Mr Lattimer and the Sheriff. The Sheriff was dealt what would have been lethal wounds by Sally Stukowski, had she not been given vampire blood. I also understand that you bit the Sheriff's sister deliberately and repeatedly to cause her to become a half-were, a fact of which she is most likely completely unaware. As you know, the penalty for these actions is death in our culture. However, the Sheriff would like to know what you have to say for yourself. I will leave the determination of your fate up to her."

Amanda looked from Mr Valda to Myka in confusion, and then fear.

"You can't be serious, Mr Valda. She's evil; she murdered Marcus! She tried to kill Sally and she killed that guy that worked for her, all because they turned her down when she asked them out! And now you want to leave it up to her? I would rather just be killed outright than be tortured, sir, please!"

Myka stared at her, one eyebrow hiking up in disbelief.

"You think I did all that?"

"Yes, of course! Why on earth would I have done any of this, otherwise? Sally said you'd paid some witch from your precinct to cover it up."

Mr Valda looked at the woman severely.

"Young woman, you know that witches are neutral in any disputes between weres or anyone else, for that matter. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to find a witch who is willing to accept payment to cover anything up. Add to that the fact that the witch Sally Stukowksi has maligned is Leena Frederic."

Amanda visibly paled.

"I see you've heard that name before. And I'm sure you'll agree that Ms Frederic is about as honest as they come. Ms Stukowski, it appears, was not."

Amanda gaped at him for a long moment, her face falling.

"Why would she lie?" she whispered, shaking her head. "She said you were hurting her, that you were trying to get her fired, that you were harassing her family… I would never have done any of this, not if I thought there was a chance she was lying…"

"How long did you know Sally?" Myka asked quietly.

"Since we were kids. We grew up together," Amanda said shortly.

"I'm sorry," Myka said, her tone full of sympathy.

"She's dead?" Amanda asked, her eyes appealing to both Myka and Mr Valda for it not to be true.

Mr Valda nodded.

"She almost took the Sheriff with her. If I hadn't been able to get her to Dr Ludwig, she would either be dead or a half-were. And all because Sally Stukowski couldn't accept what Mr Diamond did. He tried to kill the Sheriff, and his friend's plan was to sexually assault her. We can only speculate on whether Mr Diamond had plans to that effect, too. In any case, I can assure you that the spell was accurate, as was the Sheriff's story. Her vampire saved her life then and last night, and it was that same vampire who killed Marcus Diamond and his human friend."

 _Shit the vampire the vampire they're going to…_

Amanda's mind was racing, but to her credit she spoke almost as soon as the thought entered her head.

"The vampire! Her family – Sally's – they were going to burn the vamp out of her new house, in case she sleeps there. I don't know when. If what you are saying is true… you have to stop them."

Myka and Pete shared startled looks, and then Myka took off at high speed to get in the car. She didn't remember the journey afterwards. She had vague impressions of Pete calling the station and getting them to send all available units to Helena's address and to galvanise the local fire volunteers.

When they reached the tree-lined street, there was smoke coming from near the door. Myka ignored Pete's shouts to wait until the fire volunteers got there, running headlong towards the house. She reached the door in what seemed like an eternity, pulling the key from her pocket – Helena had left it with the note from that morning – and she pulled the door open. The fire was small and mercifully hadn't spread beyond the small entrance hall. Myka put her sleeve over her mouth and jumped through the flames to the other side, running for the kitchen, praying that the water had been connected. She was in luck, and she quickly located a bucket under the sink, filling it, while searching for and finding a thick, heavy blanket from the back of the sofa. She ran that under water too and sprinted back to the entryway, throwing the bucket of water first, which did virtually nothing to staunch the flames. The blanket was much more successful, dousing all but a few stray flames. A quick trip to the kitchen and a refill of the bucket and the last flames were extinguished. Myka stood still for a moment, her brain stopping in its tracks now that she had nothing else to do. Helena… she was pretty sure Helena was fine, sleeping or whatever, but she wouldn't know until tonight, would she? Helena could be sleeping somewhere else, and if the Stukowskis knew where that was, she could be burning alive right now. And Myka wouldn't know, because she didn't even know where Helena slept. It was a vampire's most closely guarded secret, she had said.

* * *

When Pete barrelled through the door, after checking the perimeter for any of Sally's family members and any more places where they might have set a fire, he found Myka sitting on the floor dumbly, cross-legged, her eyes blank. He asked if she was okay and she replied, "I'm fine," but he could tell that she was in shock. He lifted her gently to the couch in the living room and found another blanket to wrap her in before going to the kitchen and making some tea with a large slug of whisky in it. Myka took it and drank it wordlessly.

Pete called off the cavalry using his radio, and asked Steve to look after the station until sundown. He wasn't leaving the Sheriff until he was sure that her vampire was okay. They sat in silence, waiting for the sun to set, and for Helena to appear, if she was able. After a while, Myka reached out and took Pete's hand, and he squeezed hers gently, praying that Helena was okay.

When the sun finally set, after what felt like several weeks, to Pete at least, he felt rather than saw Myka's head lift suddenly, tilting as if she was listening to something.

"She's okay," she breathed, and a few seconds later, Helena herself appeared, her fangs extended and her face a picture of pure fury. Pete let go of Myka's hand unconsciously, moving away from her. Helena was at her side a second later, checking her face and hands carefully, making sure she wasn't hurt.

"You could have been killed…" she said, softly, chiding Myka. Myka stared at her.

"They were trying to kill you, Helena," she said, and the pure happiness on her face made Pete's heart fill up. He surreptitiously wiped at his eyes and coughed quietly.

"I'm gonna take off, you guys. I'm glad you're okay," he said, directing that last at Helena. She nodded at him, inclining her head slightly.

"My thanks, Deputy Lattimer, for taking care of Myka," she said. He nodded and smiled at Myka, who smiled back, coming back to herself a little now that Helena was safe. He let himself out, shaking his head a little. The Sheriff had it bad, and so did the vamp. He hoped it didn't end badly for them.

Helena was safe, and she was holding Myka in her arms, and that was pretty much all that mattered, right then. This tiny world that existed in the circle of her arms, her cool lips on Myka's forehead, and her hand stroking Myka's shoulder delicately.

"You shouldn't have tackled that fire yourself," Helena said, eventually.

"How did you know?" Myka asked, idly.

"I can only smell you and Deputy Lattimer, and he didn't smell like smoke, or at least not as much as you do. Speaking of which, I would like to remedy that, if we can."

Myka nodded. She had been thinking about that huge bath and what it would be like to share it with Helena.

"Only after you've eaten, though," she said, noting Helena's pallor. Helena nodded, slightly reluctantly.

"I don't smell that bad, do I?" Myka joked.

"No, my love. You smell wonderful. I just want to get rid of that fire smell from your body. Those animals could have hurt you – again. I am tired of this woman, Sally, and her vendetta against you. Her completely fallacious vendetta," Helena said, and Myka could tell that she was working herself up to another rant in which she wished that Sally had more lives so that she could take them from her again in the most painful way possible. Myka headed it off by kissing her gently and going to the kitchen, taking some True Blood from the fridge and heating it in one of the microwaves in the huge, spotless kitchen. She returned to the living room, sitting next to Helena and making sure she drank the whole bottle.

"So, you bought a house," she said, lightly. Helena looked at her a little uncertainly.

"I bought a house. Which reminds me, my darling. I must beg your forgiveness. You are a wonder, and I should never have treated you so roughly. I was… it is unforgiveable, I know…" she said, her eyes dropping to her feet.

Myka lifted her chin and kissed her fervently, pouring all of her happiness and love into it, almost climbing into Helena's lap. She sat back after a long moment, and Helena stared at her.

"Does that convince you that you have nothing to apologise for?" she asked, archly.

"Myka, I… I practically assaulted you. I know that I hurt you, and we've never talked about where I can bite you. I let myself get out of control, and you are no fang banger, Myka Bering. I should have treated you with more respect," she said, her face still a picture of shame.

"And if I enjoyed it? What then?" Myka asked, her face calm.

"You… I appreciate the attempt to lie, Myka, but I know what I am. A monster," Helena said, her face twisting on the last word.

"Helena, you are not a monster. You are beautiful, and occasionally very scary, but you are not a monster. I loved every minute of last night, and I… if I'd known how much you were holding back, I would have done something earlier. I knew that you were angry last night, and I decided to goad you a little, to try to turn your anger into something else. And it worked. I had an amazing time last night, Helena, and I don't want you to hold back out of fear that I will think you're a monster. You are what you are, and I want you as you are," Myka said, her voice passionate and her eyes steady on Helena's. Sometimes she wished her gift could work the other way, that she could transmit her thoughts as well as receive other people's. (Not often, but sometimes.)

"You mean that, don't you?" Helena asked, only it wasn't quite a question. It was a stunned realisation, and she turned away from Myka after a moment.

"What's wrong, Helena?" Myka asked.

"Nothing, darling," Helena said, still not looking at her. Myka sat forward and turned Helena's head towards her, seeing twin bloody trails on her face. She was crying.

"Why are you crying?" Myka asked gently, searching her pockets for a tissue to wipe away the bloody tears. She wiped them delicately, and Helena closed her eyes, more tears oozing from behind her closed eyelids.

"It's okay, Helena," Myka said soothingly, drawing Helena closer to her and holding the vampire's surprisingly small body to her own. It was always a surprise to realise what size Helena really was; she was thin and a little shorter than Myka, and if she hadn't been able to crush granite with her fingers she might have been described as almost frail.

After a few minutes, Helena pulled back and took the tissue from Myka, wiping her eyes again.

"I'm sorry, darling, to be so emotional. I'm afraid after almost losing you yesterday I was feeling rather out of control, and I thought that I had frightened you away, with my behaviour. I have never expected a human to understand or accept me. They have always been a means to an end, until you. And I never expected you to understand, any of this, if I am perfectly truthful about it. I expected you to run as soon as I showed you where I died and told you about Christina," she sniffed, wiping at her eyes again impatiently.

"Well, you underestimated me, Wells. I'm not exactly the most normal myself, you may have noticed. I try to give everyone a fair hearing in life, and nothing you've done or told me about makes me think you're a monster, Helena."

She felt silly, doing it, but she kissed Helena's hand gently. She thought it might drive home her meaning more than an actual kiss.

"I… thank you, Myka," Helena breathed, her eyes locked on Myka's. "You truly are an extraordinary human."

After that emotional moment, they spent a quiet evening together. Helena insisted that Myka eat, as she too was looking rather pale. She had Chinese takeout, with Helena watching her, looking faintly nauseated at the garlic in the food. Myka laughed at her and told her that no way was she giving up garlic for Helena or anyone else. They had a long bath together in the huge bathroom, and Myka spent a fun half hour testing out all the lights and different jets in the very expensive bathtub. They got into bed after that, and Helena amused Myka by demonstrating the television's many features, including Netflix, Amazon and YouTube. They watched stupid cat videos before turning on a couple of episodes in a row of some television show that Helena enjoyed about a con man who was press-ganged into working for the FBI. Myka tried to stay awake, but the day had worn on her, and after a few attempts to hide her yawns, Helena pulled Myka into her arms and told her to sleep. As Myka drifted off, she could have sworn that she heard Helena say, "I love you."

* * *

The following day, Helena was gone as usual when she woke, but she didn't leave any notes, just a spare uniform and underwear and socks, along with the key to Myka's cruiser – the cruiser that she'd left at the station the day before, as far as she could remember. She wondered idly how Helena managed to do these things without being seen, but dismissed the idea, thinking about how fast vampires could move. In any case, she was grateful not to have to do the walk of shame home in yesterday's smoky, soiled uniform.

When she arrived at the station, everything was quiet. Claudia saluted her in a rather mocking fashion, as was her usual habit, and Myka ignored it, as was _her_ usual habit, rather than telling the girl off for insubordination. There was coffee on her desk as usual, and she took a long drink before looking through her messages.

There were a number relating to recent cases, including the DA's office upstate asking for evidence, and a few annoying queries about what she was doing about all the wild animal sightings in the area. She made a mental note to speak to Benedict Valda about that when she saw him next. She also made a note to check what had happened to the were, Amanda, since Myka and Pete had seen her yesterday.

She needn't have worried, because Pete popped his head in two minutes later.

"Hey boss – I got a call from Valda this morning. He wants to know what you want to do with Amanda. You okay to take a drive out there?"

She looked up at him and nodded.

"Sure, Pete. Let's go."

When they were in the car – she drove this time – she took a deep breath before talking to him.

"First of all, thank you for yesterday, Pete. What you did – sitting with me? I really appreciate it. You weren't even supposed to be on shift, and I know you came in here last night straight from there. So thank you."

He nodded.

"Anytime, Myka."

"And second, what do _you_ think I should do about Amanda? She bit Tracy, and maybe Sally would have killed me if she'd been able to hold onto you for long enough – but she also might have saved Helena's life, and I don't think she deserves to die. So, what would you do?" she asked, swerving widely to avoid hitting some unidentifiable animal that was shuffling across the road.

He furrowed his brow, and she could hear him thinking, so she tried to block him out, finding it slightly harder than the day before. She reinforced her guards by singing a tuneless rendition of "Brown girl in the ring," inside her head. It sucked that she couldn't sing, not even in her own brain. After a moment, Pete spoke.

"I don't know, Myka. She did some shitty stuff, that's for sure. Biting your sister – I mean, why would you do that to someone who isn't even involved? But she trusted her friend, and it seems like she had no idea that Sally was that crazy. I don't know about you, but I believe her."

She smiled at him wryly.

"It's true, Pete. She had no idea."

"Oh yeah," he said, laughing at himself. "I forgot all about that!"

"So, what would you do, then?" she repeated, trying to get him back on track.

"I think I'd see if Valda will let her go, as long as somebody watches her for a while, makes sure she doesn't try to do anything else to hurt you."

"I think that's fair," she said, nodding. The only other option was to drag her to the station and charge her with crimes so outlandish that no-one would believe them until they saw her change at the next full moon. And it wasn't Myka's job to force the supernatural community out of the closet; that had to be their decision, not hers.

When they arrived at the Warehouse, a car was already parked there, presumably Valda's. The same tall were was standing by the door, and he smiled shyly at Myka before pulling the door open to let them through.

Valda was standing next to Amanda, talking to her politely, and he looked round and they entered.

"Good morning, Sheriff, Deputy," he said, nodding at them both in turn.

"Good morning, Mr Valda," Myka said, nodding her head politely.

"Have you come to any decisions, Sheriff?" he asked, getting right to the point. "I understand that Ms Wells was not harmed, despite the actions of Ms Stukowski's family, who are now under guard, I might add. They pose no further threat to you, I personally guarantee it," he said, bowing slightly.

"If you're guaranteeing that, I know I have nothing to worry about," she said, nodding in acknowledgement. "I was hoping that perhaps you would consider setting Amanda free. She did some bad things, things that will have lifelong repercussions, but I can't see how killing her will make matters any better. Perhaps you could set someone to supervise her for a while, to make sure she doesn't have any ill intention towards me or anyone else?" she suggested, lifting an eyebrow slightly.

"I hesitate to set her free, Madam Sheriff. She has broken many of our unwritten laws, especially in turning someone without their consent or knowledge."

"Well then, why not make her explain it to the person she hurt?" Pete suggested, out of the blue. "Myka is planning to take a trip to see her sister and explain things, but who better to teach her about being a were than the person who turned her?"

Mr Valda tilted his head thoughtfully, thinking about Pete's suggestion. It seemed to be a habit of his when he found something worthy of further thought.

"I think that sounds like a very worthwhile mission for Miss Martin, if she can be trusted to undertake it and not run away from her responsibilities," he said, turning to look at Amanda, who was watching them dully, her bruised face making her bright blue eyes look even brighter.

"I… why would you do that, Sheriff?" she asked bluntly.

"Do what?" Myka asked, confused.

"Why would you ask Mr Valda to let me go? After what I did? I could have caused your death, and I turned your sister into a half-were. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I did it anyway. I don't deserve your mercy."

"Does anyone, ever? Deserve it, I mean?" Myka asked curiously.

Amanda shrugged, her movements hampered by being tied to the chair.

"You would really let me go?" she asked again.

"Yes. What else should I do? You bit my sister while in your panther form. If I arrest you for that, the judge will laugh in my face when I take you into court. If I tell them you attacked me, I'll have to say I was healed by vampire blood, and bring my whole personal life out into the open, not to mention the supernatural community. Apparently the way weres deal with these things is to kill the person who did them. I think that's a waste. If he lets you go, can I trust you not to come after me again?" Myka asked, looking the beaten woman right in the eyes.

"I swear to you, Sheriff. I will never harm you and I will do everything in my power to make up for what I've done."

Her thoughts echoed her words, and after a moment, Myka nodded.

"Okay. Mr Valda, I'm happy for you to let her go, with whatever sort of constraints you want to put on her. As far as I'm concerned, she's free to go, although I would appreciate her assistance in explaining to my sister, who I don't even know, by the way, that she's going to turn into some sort of half-beast at the full moon," Myka said, nodding at Mr Valda.

"As you wish, Sheriff. Would you consent to keep an eye on this woman, Deputy Lattimer? I think you are probably the most appropriate person, in the circumstances."

Pete nodded seriously, and Mr Valda fished around in his suit pocket, coming up with a key with which he unlocked Amanda's chains. She stood slowly, flexing her arms and legs, and as she did so, Myka heard Pete's thoughts explode.

 _Jesus look at those arms that girl is built…Oh holy shit her boobs are HUGE…_

At which point Myka started singing "Brown girl in the ring," tunelessly in her head, concentrating hard on the lyrics and her own tuneless rendition. If life was fair, she thought idly, she'd at least sound like Beyoncé or someone in her own head, right?

"Sheriff, I would like to apologise once more for all you've been through. Our pack is in your debt. I am naming you a friend of the pack, which means that should you ever need assistance, we are at your beck and call. If you have any trouble with this one, or with any other matter, please give me a call."

He handed her a card and shook her hand once again before shooting a warning look at Amanda and giving Pete a solemn nod. He walked out and the were at the door opened and closed it behind him.

"Are you sure about this, Pete?" Myka murmured, close to his ear.

"No point in trying to be quiet, Mykes. We're all weres here," he said, wryly.

She sighed.

"Well, are you?" she asked, in a normal tone of voice. "Remember, I can hear things, like those things that a person says in their head that are usually private?"

He reddened.

"Yes Ma'am, it's fine," he said, clearing his throat as he caught her meaning.

"Is she going to stay with you? What's the plan here?" she asked, looking from Pete to Amanda.

"I have an apartment," Amanda said, making an effort not to be sullen, it appeared. Myka understood perfectly. If her face was all puffed up like that she would be sullen too.

Pete looked at Myka.

"I think she can stay in her apartment if she promises not to get up to anything. You okay with that, boss?" he asked, chewing on a toothpick once again.

"Fine," Myka said shortly, nodding at Amanda, who nodded back.

 _"I can't believe they're setting me free. I thought I was dead for sure."_

Myka looked at her for a long moment.

"Don't waste this, Amanda. You have a chance to make up for the stupid stuff you've done. It's only because of vampire blood that you're not being charged as an accessory to murder. And god only knows, there will be some sort of a price for me to pay for drinking vampire blood – there's always a price. So just… go, do whatever you do, and when it's time to go to Colorado and see Tracy we'll come to get you."

"Yes, Ma'am," Amanda said, her back straightening in a very familiar way. More military, huh? Myka tried not to listen to the tone of Pete's thoughts regarding the way the were's chest looked when she stood at attention like that.

"At ease, soldier," Myka said wryly. "Come on, I need to get some damn work done today."

Pete was silent on the way back, and since Myka could hear exactly why – his thoughts were filled with Amanda, images of her flitting through his brain – she said nothing, either. She did have to take steps, however, to tune him out. It was embarrassing to share someone else's thoughts on such an intimate matter as sexual attraction. She chose a new song to sing in her head, this time - Rasputin. Why Boney M was working, she didn't know, but she wasn't going to argue with success.

They dropped Amanda at her apartment on the way back to the station, and Pete headed home since he was taking the night shift again. Myka was soon immersed in the paperwork involved in making a missing persons report. She spoke to Walter Sykes' mother, who he had indeed lived with, and the woman sounded more annoyed at his disappearance than upset. She filled in the forms dutifully and filed them in triplicate. She felt grimy and wrong the whole time. Other than the few times she'd read people's minds for her foster father, this was the first time in her life that she could say she'd truly done something dishonest on purpose, and it didn't feel good at all.

She called Arthur Nielsen later that day, and he answered the phone, sounding more grumpy than usual.

"Mr Nielsen, it's Myka Bering. I was wondering if I could come see you this evening."

"Yes, yes. Whatever. Perhaps you can explain to me what happened to my assistant, Sheriff?" he said grumpily before hanging up on her.

She sighed and went back to work.

Late that afternoon she drove to Arthur Nielsen's office, helping herself to coffee in the waiting room and making some for him before knocking on the door. He called her in and she went to sit down.

"So, Sally's dead?" he said. It wasn't really a question. She wondered how he managed to read her the way he did. She could only hear what people were thinking at the time; maybe his ability was different because he wasn't human.

"Yes," she said, both sad and annoyed. It didn't have to happen that way.

"She almost killed you." This was more of a mutter to himself.

"And now you can hear much more clearly. And you need help in blocking thoughts out, until the vampire blood is absorbed. Some of it will stay, though. The extra strength, the mental powers, if you have a blood bond with the vampire," he said thoughtfully.

"A what now?" she asked.

"A blood bond. You are sharing blood with the vampire, and she has shared hers with you. Twice?"

"Yes," she said. "We were meant to talk about it last night, but some other stuff came up. What does it mean?"

He scratched at his moustache thoughtfully.

"As far as I understand it, if you exchange blood with a vampire three times, it creates a sort of bond. Empathically. Similar to how a vampire sire and child are bonded. It can go wrong – sometimes it ends up with the vampire accidentally siring the human. But when it doesn't, the pair feel safer and happier when they are together, due to the bond. And they can sense one another's emotional states. It can be intense, I believe," he said, taking off his glasses and polishing them.

"Okay," Myka said carefully. "I wonder why… Helena seemed worried about it. it doesn't sound so bad."

"Yes I suppose it doesn't, when things are fine between you. But if you break up? What then? You will still feel safe and happy when she is there, even if you aren't together. And then there's the possibility of you accidentally turning into a bloodsucking vampire!" he retorted, glaring at her.

"I'll talk to her tonight," Myka promised, recoiling slightly from his fierceness.

"Very well. Now, as to your telepathy. Since you have once again imbibed vampire blood, you will just have to put up with a certain amount of noise from those around you. But you seem to have developed a primitive sort of shield in the meantime. What have you been doing?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.

"Singing," she said, ruefully. She blushed a little.

"Not out loud, I hope," he chuckled, obviously able to tell from her mind that she was tone-deaf.

"No, just inside my head," she said. "The more annoying, the better," she said, and he chuckled again, more heartily this time.

"Boney M? I haven't heard them since 1973…" he said.

"My mom was a fan," Myka said dryly, and then frowned. She had no earthly idea how she was going to go about dealing with the shitstorm that was her biological family.

"That one, I can't help you with," Arthur said, softly. "But as to your mental shields – I can show you how to build them, to make them last, so that you can only hear what you want to hear, when you want to hear it."

He leaned over the desk, holding out his hands, and she took them. What followed was difficult for her to process. It was a series of impressions, feelings, more than it was words or pictures. But once he was done she had a foundation with shields built on it.

"You will have to add to those shields, to power them with your own determination, but eventually they will become second nature, Sheriff. You will be able to block people out – most of the time. Except when you yourself are emotional, tired, or… during intimacy. But that shouldn't be a problem, at least while you are with the vampire."

She nodded, and smiled at him gratefully. The shields were humming in a comforting way, cancelling out the noise from outside her brain. It was…well, she could feel the energy the shields themselves were using, but compared to the cost of dealing with the constant onslaught of other people's pain? It was nothing.

"Thank you, Artie," she said, relieved. He gave her some more instructions on how to keep the shields up and feed them energy, and she headed home feeling hopeful about the future for the first time in a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

_We meet Christina and James MacPherson, and Myka decides to face the music and tell Tracy she's going to turn into a panther-y thing._

* * *

She had just finished eating and was settling on the porch, the sun having just set, when her radio came to life next to her and almost made her drop the cup of hot tea she was holding.

"Sheriff, do you copy?" Leena's voice came out as a squawk over the radio. Myka picked it up immediately.

"Go ahead," she barked.

"We have a sighting. The girl vampire. She's in the woods, not far from where we found the first kid. Pete's on his way with Jeff and Liam."

"On my way," Myka said.

She made it to the scene in less than five minutes. Pete and the other two weres were standing with their sidearms out, a small child in the car behind them.

"Pete?" she asked, running over while drawing her own weapon.

"She's out there somewhere, Myka," he said, indicating the woods next to them. "She had this kid," he said, indicating the child in the cruiser, "only some of the local werepanthers were out in the woods and they saw her."

"Okay. Get the kid out of here, you guys. I'm gonna go and try to find her."

"No way, Mykes," Pete said immediately. "You two, take the kid back to the station. I'm staying with the Sheriff."

She looked at him for a long moment, and then just nodded. He would be useful. A few seconds later, the car roared off, sirens blaring, and she felt Pete's mind shrinking behind her as he changed form. She took off at a run, heading to where she could feel a small cluster of minds in the woods – presumably the weres who had chased Christina off.

Running through the woods was a trial – she kept getting whipped in the face by passing bushes, but the thought of finally catching Christina was urging her on, pushing her to run faster than she ever had before. She noticed in astonishment that the trees were actually blurring by, and that she was running almost as fast as Helena had been the night they went out here to try finding Christina's trail. Myka heard a howl of pain from her right and she stormed in that direction, stopping suddenly in a clearing where a small figure, dressed all in white, was hunched over a fallen wolf, drinking from its neck.

"Christina Wells! You're under arrest!" she yelled, pointing her weapon at the figure. The girl stood up and hissed at her, and then laughed in a manner so deranged that the hair on the back of Myka's neck stood on end. She looked so much like a miniature Helena that Myka was momentarily breathless. The girl blurred towards her, but with her increased strength and speed Myka had ample time to bring up her left hand, in which she was holding her modified pepper spray. She sprayed it directly in the girl's face, and was disgusted and dismayed to see the flesh blister and melt, running in rivulets down Christina's face.

The girl screamed, a horrible, high-pitched noise that resonated through the small bones in Myka's ears and reverberated in her skull.

"I see you've managed to imbibe some vampire blood, Sheriff," a voice said from the other side of the small clearing. It was English, thick and unctuous. She looked up and saw a good-looking man in his late forties or early fifties, incredibly pale, wearing a tweed suit with elbow patches, looking every inch the country gentleman on a grouse shoot.

"James MacPherson, I assume?" she said, frozen at the spectacle of the girl in front of her, whose face was essentially melting. It suddenly occurred to her that she should put cuffs on the kid. She made a slight move towards her belt, and MacPherson's voice came from behind her, suddenly.

"Sorry, Sheriff, but I can't let you keep my greatest creation. Do give my regards to Helena, won't you?"

Then she saw only blackness.

* * *

 _She's okay, isn't she? Please let her be okay…_

"Claudia, get down here and bring Leena, now!"

 _Please be okay, Mykes…_

She woke properly when she felt a delicate hand touch her head, and a surge of _something_ was sent into her, like a probe into her brain, almost.

"She's okay, Pete. Just a concussion. Her head's gonna hurt, but nothing's broken." It was Leena's gentle voice.

"Thank God. The vamp would have killed me…"

"Mr Lattimer, what has happened here?"

Myka felt a surge of happiness as she recognised Helena's voice and soothing presence against the cacophony of voices around her. She remembered her shields, trying to put them in place, and the pain in her head surged. She gave that idea up straightaway.

"Myka, are you awake?" Leena asked quietly.

She opened her eyes carefully, finding Leena kneeling next to her, and Pete, Claudia and Helena standing nearby in a concerned huddle.

"Hey," she said gently. "What's going on, guys?"

"You were knocked out, Myka. You went after the vamp?"

"I hurt her…" Myka said vaguely. "MacPherson hit me…" She closed her eyes again.

She heard a rushing noise and felt herself being picked up gently but swiftly.

"I'm taking the Sheriff home. Send the witch after me, Lattimer," Helena snapped. There was another rushing noise and then she was placed gently into a comfortable bed. The voices in her head were soothed to a soft lull almost immediately, and Helena stroked her head gently with cool fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Myka," she whispered. "If he had killed you…"

"I'm okay, Helena," she managed. "I got her. How hard is it to heal from silver burns?"

Helena winced involuntarily.

"Ah…perhaps a few days? Given that it is in liquid form, which I have not encountered before, I would say it might be a little more difficult for it to be expelled from the skin."

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Helena. She was coming to kill me," Myka said apologetically.

"Don't be ridiculous, Myka. I understand perfectly, and I would have done the same. I am impressed that you weren't hurt more seriously," she said, sitting next to Myka and taking her hand.

"I think it's your blood," Myka said, wincing at the throbbing in her head. "It made my gift really strong. And I lifted Pete the other day."

"I knew it increased human strength, but I haven't seen it first-hand myself. I had meant to tell you about the blood bond last night, but I was distracted. I'm sorry," she said, frowning.

"It's okay," Myka said. Arthur Nielsen explained it to me earlier. We have to try and avoid doing it again, unless it's life or death. Even if it's life or death. So if it happens again, promise me you'll weigh it up? I don't want to become a vampire, Helena. So let's not take that risk if we don't have to."

Helena kissed her hand delicately.

"I promise, my love."

Leena and Pete knocked downstairs, and Helena blurred away to let them in, returning shortly after. Pete and Leena followed 30 seconds later.

"Could you get me some hot water, Helena?" Leena asked politely. Helena nodded and disappeared downstairs.

Pete's thoughts were loud, hurting Myka's head. He was angry, at himself, at the vampires, at Helena.

 _How many times has she ended up hurt since the vamp got here? She's gonna end up dead and I promised Mrs Frederic I'd protect her. Fucking vampires…_

"It's not her fault, Pete," Myka said quietly.

"Sure," Pete said, his jaw tight.

 _My ass…the vamp could have killed the kid a fucking century ago…Myka's been hurt too many times…damn vamp must be really good in the sack if she's willing to overlook that…_

"You do know I can hear you, right?" Myka said acerbically, her hands going to her temples.

 _Shit…_

"I'm so sorry, Myka. I…I was supposed to be keeping you safe, and you've nearly been killed three times now. If this MacPherson asshole had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead."

"I know," she sighed. She still wasn't sure how he'd managed to move so fast; she had nearly matched Christina's speed. Why was MacPherson so much quicker?

Helena returned to the room with a tray with a steaming teapot and a mug. Leena took some herbs from a bag and mixed them in to the teapot.

"Give it five minutes, Helena, stir it, strain it and make sure she drinks at least two mugs of it. It will ease the headache and any inflammation. Should make the concussion a lot less painful.

"Of course, Leena. Thank you, my dear," Helena said, smiling at Leena. It looked odd on her face. She very rarely smiled at anyone but Myka.

"We should leave them to it, Pete," Leena said, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Yeah, sure," Pete said unenthusiastically.

"I'm fine, Pete," Myka said. "Helena can protect me if anything else happens."

He nodded and gave Helena a look that clearly said she had better protect Myka. He was grumbling in his head all the way out of the house; it was exhausting. Myka didn't have the mental energy to put up any shields.

"How are you feeling, my love?" Helena asked, her concern clear on her face.

"A little sore," Myka admitted. "Dizzy. Nauseous."

"I forget, sometimes, how fragile humans are," Helena said thoughtfully, touching Myka's face gently. "I wish that I could do something to help."

"You are," Myka said. "You're here. That's all I need."

Helena's smile was wide and beautiful.

"She looks like you," Myka said quietly, after a moment or two of silence.

"She does," Helena agreed, her eyes closing.

"I hated hurting her. I think… I really think I understand how hard it is for you. I don't think I would have been able to kill her either. She's still a child, no matter what she's done."

"Yes, it is. I have tried – God, I have tried. But she's my daughter, Myka. My baby. I… I don't know if I can do it, even now."

"We need to talk about that, Helena. Not right now, but soon. If we can't capture her, we might need to consider that."

"I know," Helena said.

She made the tea as Leena instructed and Myka obediently drank two mugs of the bitter tea, after which she became drowsy. Sleep was beckoning irresistibly and she didn't try to resist it. Helena climbed into bed beside her and held her as she drifted off to sleep.

An hour or so later Helena woke her, checked her pupils, made her drink more of the bitter tea, and held her again until she fell asleep. Myka knew that she did it a few more times that night, but it all merged together like a fever dream. When she awoke to a familiar note and a glass of water and pills, she smiled. Whatever Helena thought of herself, the idea that she was anything but caring – or at least when it came to Myka – was ridiculous.

Myka's day at work was filled with well-wishing from her staff, but she was more focused on practising her ability to block them out of her head. She soon found that some were louder than others – Claudia and Liam, for starters, were difficult to block out, as their minds were open and constantly chattering about whatever they were doing or thinking at that particular time. Once she had her shields well established, she could still feel the presence of the other people in the building, but she could no longer hear them. There was a wonderful white noise effect from the shields that made her feel extremely relaxed. The shields themselves took a constant expenditure of energy – physical and emotional – to maintain, but compared to the energy she used dealing with the pain caused by all those jumbled thoughts, it felt like nothing.

She made the rounds of the town later that day as was her habit about once a week, stopping by local businesses and talking to the owners, and wandering through the trailer park to speak to the families there. A lot of people were concerned about animal sightings, and she made a note to speak to Benedict Valda about his people being more discreet in their activities. A lot of the locals, especially those with younger children, were concerned about the vampire attacks. She reassured all of them that the Sheriff's office was well-equipped to deal with any animals or vampires, confirming that they had thwarted an attack the night before and she was confident that they'd be able to stop any future attempts.

As she drove back to the station she hoped fervently that she was right.

When she returned to the station, it occurred to her that she needed to face up to the situation that was her family in Colorado. Soon enough it would be the full moon and Tracy would change, probably into some sort of half-were. Myka didn't know if her younger sister had a family of her own, but she imagined that it would be quite difficult to hide something like that from a husband or wife or kids. Myka took out her calendar and checked. The full moon was in a week. She sighed and put her head in her hands. This was going to be tough.

She felt Leena approach and looked up with a half-smile on her face. She didn't know what Leena's deal was, whether she was entirely human or not, but whatever she was, she was a wonderful person who always anticipated Myka's needs.

"Hey Sheriff," Leena said softly. "Drink this – it'll get rid of the remains of the headache and make you feel a little brighter.

"Thank you," Myka said, taking the proffered cup eagerly. Her head was still hurting an awful lot. Even with Leena's tea, her concussion was still making itself known.

"Would you grab Pete for me when he gets here?" she asked Leena, who nodded and smiled before leaving.

Pete came in around 30 minutes later.

"Hey, Mykes," he said, his face concerned as he peered at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Pete," she said. "Just a bit of a headache."

"Good," he said, looking relieved. "Listen, about last night… I'm sorry. I know Helena has been trying to protect you, and she saved our lives. I just… I'm worried that this is gonna end badly, with the kid vampire and all."

Myka looked at him for a moment steadily before replying.

"Yeah, me too, Pete. I don't know how this is going to end up. But we can only do our best to deal with it and either lock Christina up or kill her. She's completely mad; there's no helping her."

He nodded.

"So, what did you want to see me about?" he asked.

"Tracy," she said, chewing her lip. "I… we need to go soon, and warn her. The full moon is next weekend."

"Sure, Mykes. Should we go tomorrow morning? More likely to catch her at the weekend, and it means we don't leave the station unmanned."

Steve looked after the station on the weekends, along with doing daytime shifts here and there, while Pete usually dealt with nights and Myka with days.

"Good idea," she said, nodding. "Can you talk to Amanda, arrange it?"

He nodded.

"I'll get Claudia to find us some tickets," she said, and Pete left her to her work for the remainder of the afternoon.

Claudia found tickets that were miraculously cheap and available, and Myka decided not to question her methods too closely. She knew that Claudia had a bit of a past as a hacker, but as long as she kept her activities fairly benign and didn't draw any attention to herself or the Sheriff's Office, Myka didn't mind. She gave the girl her credit card details and the flights were booked. Myka left the office with a sigh of relief. Her official work week was over.

That evening she had a quiet dinner at home, and for once she was inside her house watching television when Helena arrived. Sally's attack on her, MacPherson's attack, Walter Sykes – they were all stacking up in her head, and she had begun to feel more than a little uneasy at being alone outside at night. She hated feeling that way – she'd been through so much violence in her life that she had thought she was inured to it, immune to the fear that inevitably followed being attacked. But apparently she wasn't. She supposed that in the great scheme of things, that was a good thing – it meant that she was still capable of feeling. She'd felt numb and closed off for so long that it probably _was_ a good thing. It just didn't feel like it, right then.

Helena's arrival was a whisper against her other sense. She heard a quiet knock at the back door and she answered just as quietly, knowing Helena could hear her even if she whispered.

"Good evening, my love," the vampire said. She was wearing a typical outfit, for her. Thin cotton jacket, blue shirt and tight jeans with weathered brown leather boots. She looked incredible, her hair so dark it looked as if it was absorbing the light from the rest of the room.

"Hey," Myka said, smiling her half-smile. Helena approached, leaning down to kiss her. Myka, who'd been lounging on her sofa, sat up and accepted the kiss, threading her fingers into Helena's hair and reciprocating enthusiastically. It had only been a few days since they'd had sex, but she missed Helena's touch.

Helena was kissing down Myka's neck and thoroughly distracting her when it suddenly dawned on her that she needed to tell Helena about her trip.

"Helena," she tried, but her voice came out in a husk, barely understandable. She drew back and turned Helena's face to her.

"Helena," she said, this time successfully, and Helena lifted an eyebrow before sitting down next to her.

"Yes, my love?" she asked.

"I have to go away for a couple of days. Maybe longer, I don't know. I need to tell Tracy about what happened, explain to her that she's going to change. The full moon is next week."

"When do you leave?" Helena asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Pete suggested we go over the weekend. Steve takes care of the office at weekends unless there's an emergency so it made sense."

"Of course, darling. It does makes sense. I will miss you, though," she said, her face comically mournful. It suddenly dawned on Myka that they hadn't actually spent a night apart since they met. She wondered idly what that meant.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, checking Helena's colouring anxiously. She was very white, and looked tired.

"I am," she admitted, smiling slightly. "Might you be able to assist?"

"I might," Myka said, playfully. "What do I get in return?"

"Myka, I told you, that's not the sort of relationship I want," Helena began, her back stiffening. Myka started to apologise, to explain, but Helena laughed suddenly.

"You were playing me?" Myka said, outraged.

"Sorry, my darling," Helena said, her smile wide. "I just couldn't resist such a perfect opening."

And then she whispered in Myka's ear what she would _actually_ get in return for a bottle or two of Tru Blood. Myka hurried to the kitchen.


	14. Chapter 14

_Myka, Pete and Amanda go to Colorado._

* * *

When Myka's alarm went off at five the following morning, she groaned. Today was the day she was flying to Colorado with Pete and Amanda. She would be going to see Tracy, her sister, who she hadn't seen since she was abandoned by her parents. She might very well have to see her parents too, and she felt like she had a huge hot rock in her stomach every time she thought of them. Warren Bering, who had deliberately abandoned her because of her ability, and Jean Bering, who'd let him. How do you talk to people who have done something like that? And it was a pretty sure thing that they were going to blame her for what happened to Tracy, too. She huffed out a hard breath of frustration and dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. It was going to be a long weekend.

They headed South into Louisiana, to Baton Rouge, and flew from there to Colorado Springs. The drive took them a little over an hour, and the flight was just over four hours. Amanda didn't speak at all during the journey. Her bruises were fading and she was wearing makeup to cover up what remained – evidence of the incredibly quick healing abilities of weres. Pete chatted to Myka amiably, but he too fell into silence as they got closer to Colorado. The anticipation was killing Myka. She didn't know what she was going to face with Tracy. She knew exactly what she would have to face if Warren Bering got involved; outright hostility at best.

Pete took her hand after a while, and although she was initially a bit taken aback, his thoughts were clearly that of a person worried about a friend. He didn't think of her 'that' way now, if he ever had. That much, she was sure of.

The drive from the airport wasn't very long. Myka found herself interested, despite herself, in the changes in Colorado Springs since she'd left. She'd left the city less than a year ago, but she felt like it had changed almost beyond recognition. As she thought about that, however, she realised that she, too, was almost unrecognisable from her old self.

The street where Tracy lived was beautiful. Tree-lined with kids playing, white picket fences, the whole nine yards. When Claudia did the background check Myka had requested, she'd found that Tracy's name was still Bering but that she was living with a man called Kevin Waterson and a young boy. David. Claudia hadn't been able to find out if the boy was Tracy's or if he belonged to this Kevin guy from a previous relationship.

Myka had left Pete and Amanda behind in the car. It didn't feel right to introduce herself – or reintroduce herself – to Tracy this way, with other people along. Or not at first, she thought. She knocked on the door, wincing as she recognised her police officer's knock. It was an ingrained habit to knock that way, hard and fast. She was surprised she hadn't yelled "Sheriff's Office," or "Colorado PD". She smiled wryly at herself.

The door opened to reveal a tall-ish man with black hair and an impatient look on his face.

"Yes?" he asked, and she lifted an eyebrow at his tone.

"Hi," she began, "I'm looking for…"

She didn't manage to get anything else out.

"Look, I told you people before, we don't want what you're selling. I don't care if it's Jesus or Buddha or vacuum cleaners, we don't want any." He went to slam the door and she put her foot in the way.

"I think you're misunderstanding, sir. I'm looking for Tracy Bering."

"Oh," he said, pulling the door open. "Fine. Sorry. Who are you?"

His eyes roamed her body. She felt the direction of his thoughts and poured a little more energy into her shields.

"My name is Myka. I'm her sister."

He scowled at her.

"Tracy doesn't have a sister," he began, but he was interrupted by a voice from behind.

Shit this is who Warren warned me about, the crazy sister… The panic in his thoughts made them loud enough to be heard even through her shields, and she took a deep breath.

"Sweetie, who is it?"

A tall, willowy woman with brown hair came up behind the man – Kevin, Myka reminded herself – and smiled over his shoulder politely at Myka. Her mind glowed redly. She was a were.

"Tracy Bering?" Myka asked.

"Yes," she said, smiling in a puzzled way. Myka noticed, belatedly, that her right arm was bandaged.

"I'm Myka," she began, and Tracy's face dropped.

"Oh my God," she breathed, leaning heavily on Kevin. "You're real," she said, and she pulled Kevin out of the way and beckoned for Myka to come in. Myka did so, closing the door behind her, and followed Tracy and a puzzled and annoyed Kevin into the house.

Tracy sat down at the kitchen counter, pulling Myka into the chair next to her. She held both of Myka's hands in hers, and her thoughts fluttered against Myka's shields urgently.

"I remember when the woman came to take you," she said, her eyes searching Myka's. Myka couldn't recognise the little girl she'd known in this tall and beautiful woman. She figured she probably looked a lot different to Tracy, too.

"Dad never talked about you, not once, after they took you. He ignored me when I asked about you, and eventually I just figured you were my imaginary friend or something. I wasn't sure I could trust my own mind. Mom… she never mentioned you, either. Not even when she…"

Myka read from her eyes that Jean Bering was dead.

"I'm sorry," she said, more as a matter of reflex than anything else. Tracy smiled slightly.

"Thank you."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Tracy jumped up then, and offered Myka a drink. She asked for some coffee, and Tracy busied herself with the small ritual of making drinks and getting cookies and assembling them on a plate. Myka didn't want anything to eat but she sensed that Tracy needed a few minutes to get herself together. Kevin was leaning against the kitchen worktop, looking at Myka suspiciously. She looked back impassively until he looked away.

Bitch. The thought came quite clearly, the energy with which it was projected making it audible through her shields.

"I never knew where you went," Tracy said, after she'd served up the coffee and cookies. Myka took a cautious sip of her coffee, nodding for Tracy to continue.

"Dad never said, and I didn't know who… who the woman was," she said, nervously. As if she was apologising for not trying to find Myka when she grew up.

Myka let her shields dip a little more, and all she could hear from Tracy was what she'd already said. She was sincere, and she was embarrassed and sorry that she'd never tried to find Myka.

"Look, Tracy," Myka began with a slightly pained smile, "none of that was your fault. Dad had his reasons. He gave me up to children's services, said I was too difficult for him and mom to deal with. I went through a few foster homes and when I was fifteen or so I was adopted by a really nice couple. I left school, joined Colorado PD. I made detective, eventually, and then my partner was killed in the line of duty. I was offered a job as a Sheriff of a small town in Mississippi a while ago, and I thought – why not, you know? It seemed like a good idea, a change."

Tracy smiled at her uncertainly.

"I… I'm sorry, Myka. I didn't know he'd given you up. I never understood, and he would never explain."

"I'm sure he had his reasons, Trace," Kevin said in a flat tone. Myka was concerned to note that Tracy winced, just slightly, at Kevin's tone.

"I guess," she said, her eyes pleading for Myka to say nothing more. Myka looked at her for a moment steadily and nodded slightly.

Please don't challenge him, he hates it when women challenge him. He's so much nicer when I do what he wants…

"So, what brings you here?" Kevin asked, his voice filled with accusation.

"I came to see how Tracy is. I heard she was attacked," Myka said, without any expression in her tone.

"And how did you hear about that, all the way from Mississippi?" Kevin asked, his tone again accusatory.

Warren warned me that she might pretend to be law enforcement…

"I have some friends in law enforcement up here, they keep me up to date on some things," Myka said, and Tracy winced a little.

"Wrong answer," Kevin said, his eyes angry. "No-one called the police."

Fucking bitch was lying anyway. There are no fucking panthers in Colorado.

Myka looked at him in surprise and disgust.

"She was attacked by a wild animal and you didn't report it?" she asked, her tone bemused and challenging.

"She wasn't attacked by a wild animal. It was a dog, and she didn't want it to be put to sleep, so she didn't report it. Isn't that right, Trace?" he said, and Tracy nodded, her eyes not quite meeting Myka's.

"Now, I think it's time for you to be going," Kevin said loudly.

"I would love to, but there's something I came here to tell Tracy, so if you can just let me do that, I'll be on my way." Myka's voice was calm, and she waited for Kevin's reaction. He would either back off or he'd try to throw her out. She almost wished he'd try.

He puffed out his chest and looked like he was about to start something, but Myka simply gave him a level look, showing clearly that she was not intimidated, and he piped down. He continued grumbling under his breath for a moment, perhaps to try and save face, but he subsided quickly.

Myka sent a quick text to Pete, asking him to come in with Amanda, and warning him that Kevin was volatile. Pete knocked on the door a moment later, and Myka smiled at Tracy reassuringly.

"Just some friends of mine," she said, and Tracy looked uncertainly from her to Kevin and back again. Myka left them for a second to let Pete and Amanda in, and when they returned to the kitchen, Kevin was posturing again.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, lady, but this is my house…" he began, and Myka raised an eyebrow at him. He stopped talking.

"I will be more than happy to go, as soon as I've said what I came here to say," Myka repeated, and Kevin glared at her. He wasn't calling her a bitch anymore; he'd graduated to more unpleasant words, and even with her shields as strong as she could make them, his insults were more than audible to her.

"Tracy," she began, turning to sit next to her sister, taking her hands and Tracy had hers, "I came here because of the panther who attacked you."

"I told you, it was a dog…" Kevin said, and Tracy turned to him and quietly said, "No it wasn't, Kevin. Let her talk."

He gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, but he shut his mouth again, and both Pete and Amanda shot him contemptuous looks.

"So, this panther?" Tracy prompted, and Myka nodded.

"You know about vampires, right?" she asked, and Tracy nodded.

"Of course, everybody does. I mean, I've never seen one, but we've seen them on the news and stuff. What does that have to do with a panther biting me?" Tracy asked, puzzled.

"Well, it's just… vampires are just the start of it. I learned a lot, moving to Mississippi, and I know that vampires say that it's a virus that makes them the way they are, but that's just not true. They are supernatural beings, I guess, and they're not the only ones out there. The stories are true. There are people who can change into animals," Myka said, prompting a snort of derision from Kevin, and a wide-eyed look of realisation from Tracy after a moment.

"Werewolves? And other animals? You mean…?" she whispered, and Myka nodded.

"Yeah. Panthers," Myka said.

"Oh my god," Tracy said, pulling her hands away and putting them over her mouth.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Tracy. Which is why I asked Pete and Amanda to come along," Myka said.

Tracy turned to look at her other two guests, her hands still on her mouth.

"Are you guys…?" she trailed off, and Amanda and Pete nodded solemnly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kevin demanded, his need to be in charge reasserting itself after the shock of Tracy telling him to let Myka talk.

"Myka's just explaining that I was bitten by a kind of werewolf – a were-panther, I suppose? Is that the right term?" Tracy asked, sounding surprisingly calm.

"Yeah," Pete said, nodding, and Kevin scoffed loudly.

"Bullshit," he said, laughing nastily. "What do you want? Money?"

Myka looked at him in disgust.

"No, we don't want money, and certainly not from you," she said, with distaste. "Like I said, I came here to make Tracy aware. The bite could change you, Tracy. It's very likely to, in fact, and I didn't feel right knowing that you would change at the full moon, and you wouldn't know what was happening," she said, turning back to look at Tracy.

"Bullshit," Kevin said again, and Pete shot him a filthy look before turning his back on the rest of the room and stripping so quickly that Kevin didn't have time to react. Then he was transforming, changing into a giant wolf, nothing like his normal friendly dog form. He turned to face them, and walked over to Tracy, placing his big head in her lap and looking at her appealingly. After a moment of fear, she smiled widely.

"Oh my God, that is just so amazing," she said, her eyes bright with the wonder she was feeling. It made Myka smile.

"Get away from her!" Kevin said, staring at Pete in terror.

"It's just Pete," Myka said, trying to reassure Kevin, but apparently that didn't help.

"He turned into that… thing, I saw it. You people are freaks!" he said, running out of the room and pounding upstairs.

Myka turned to look at Tracy, a look of puzzlement on her face, and as Tracy looked from the soulful eyes of the wolf in her lap to Myka's confused expression, she started to laugh.

What an idiot! How can he be scared of this guy - he's a cutie?

Myka started laughing too, and after a moment Amanda joined in with a snort. They kept trying to stop, and then one of them would catch the other's eye, and it started again. After about ten minutes, they all calmed down, and Amanda knelt down near Tracy, looking at her carefully.

"I did this to you. I bit you," Amanda admitted, her face flushed.

There was silence for a moment.

"Care to tell me why?" Tracy asked gently. Amanda looked up at her, eyes wide. Myka couldn't help but notice again that the woman was beautiful.

"It's my fault," Myka said softly.

"That's not true!" Amanda said, and Pete whined.

"Okay, maybe it's not my fault, but it was because of me. There was this woman, in Mississippi. Her boyfriend – he tried to attack me, with this other guy. They were both my deputies, and they almost killed me. A friend of mine, she's a vampire – she killed them both, to save my life. And since then, his girlfriend has been trying to get to me and the vampire. She tried to kill me herself, and Pete saved me," she said, and he whined a little and turned to snuffle at her. She petted his head absently. "Pete killed her, and afterwards her family tried to burn down the vampire's house. Sally – that was her name – she persuaded Amanda that I had done some awful things to her, and that's why Amanda came up here and bit you. I'm so sorry, Tracy. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in this."

Tracy looked at her, her gaze calm and level. There was nothing in her now of the nervy woman she had been when Myka first arrived. Myka wondered whether it was Kevin's presence that shook her confidence so profoundly.

"Whatever happened, Myka, it doesn't sound remotely like it was your fault. Someone targeted you, and I haven't heard a thing to tell me it was deserved. Am I right?" Tracy asked, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"You are totally right," Amanda broke in. "Myka didn't deserve any of it. Sally was my friend, and she told me that Myka had done all of these awful things to her. I had no reason to disbelieve her. We'd been friends for so many years. But Myka didn't do a damn thing. Her deputies - they were planning to rape and murder her, and the local packmaster got a witch to do a spell to prove it. Myka is totally blameless. The fact that I bit you – that's on me. I believed Sally, and she was lying."

Tracy was staring at Amanda, and she turned her head to look at Myka.

"They were trying to rape you?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Myka admitted, her eyes on her shoes. She didn't like to think about it too much. When she did, it made her feel like she was dirty on the inside of her skin, in a way that would never wash out. She stared at her hands for a moment. She would never be able to leave, to move past that moment, when she closed her eyes and felt Walter pulling at her uniform pants, felt Marcus' boot connect over and over with her ribs, her abdomen. She knew what it felt like to hate someone, but she couldn't fathom hating someone that much, that you enjoyed their suffering in the way Marcus plainly had. She took a deep breath, and Tracy grasped her hand tightly. Pete whined, and Myka stroked his long nose again absently. Amanda put her hand on Myka's shoulder, and for a moment Myka felt almost as safe as she did with Helena. Protected, even loved. It was… it was too much. She poured more energy into her shields, concentrating on blocking out their thoughts and on not crying in front of her long-lost sister and a were she barely knew. And wolf-Pete.

"So, now you know," she said briskly, after a moment. "I'm so sorry, about all of this. We think that you'll probably change, but not into a full panther. Because it was a bite, and it's a genetic thing, really, being a were. From what I can tell. I brought these guys with me so that they could show you that what I was saying was true, and so they could talk you through the change at the full moon."

Tracy nodded, lost in thought, and much less upset than Myka had thought she would be. She seemed almost pleased at the idea of being a half-were. It was not what Myka had expected.

What happened next, however, was almost exactly what Myka had expected when she came here. She felt the anger and menace in the new minds approaching, and in Kevin's mind as he crept downstairs to let them in. She let her shields fall, and she recognised her dad's mind, along with a few other men, all intent on dealing with these 'freaks' with their crowbars and shotguns.

"Trouble," Myka said shortly, warning Amanda and Pete, and they all stood, turning as they heard the noise of the lynch mob approaching.

"Dad," she said, flatly, as the men burst into the kitchen, brandishing their weapons.

"How the hell did you get here?" her father asked, his face a mask of shock and fear.

"I took a flight, and I knocked on the door," Myka said tonelessly. This man had been the reason for so much pain in her life. And now, looking at him, her only thought was that he was pathetic. He was shrivelled and greying, and he'd lost most of his hair.

Can she hear what I'm thinking?

She shot him a filthy look.

"Of course I can. I always could," she said, and she was satisfied when he paled.

Goddamnit Jean told me she wasn't lying. What kind of freak is she?

"I'm not a freak. And what the hell kind of father abandons his own daughter? I was twelve years old!" she said pointedly, and he turned his face away, reddening.

"Now, you boys probably think this is going to be a fun little fight for you," she said, looking each of the men in the eye steadily, "but it turns out, people who turn into animals, like Pete here, and Amanda," she indicated them both with a quirk of her eyebrows, "are supernaturally strong and fast. And I have recently, through no fault of my own, imbibed a fairly large quantity of vampire blood. And guess what? That makes me supernaturally strong and fast. So I suggest that whatever my asshole, abandoning father told you, you ought to think about not believing it. Because he's much more scared of you finding out that he had a daughter that he abandoned than he is of you guys getting hurt."

The guys looked at each other, and they were confused and a little pissed off that they didn't know their buddy Warren had a daughter, and that he'd abandoned her.

"That's not true, you guys. I don't have another daughter," he said.

"Yes he does," Tracy immediately said, and Warren frowned.

"Regardless, that's not why we came here," he interrupted, as one of his cronies started to talk. "We're here to deal with these freaks," he said, indicating wolf-Pete and Amanda. And Myka.

"You are not touching my sister," Tracy said. "And for your information, I'm one of those freaks," she said, standing up and moving in front of Myka and her friends.

"What?" her dad asked, his jaw tight. "What happened? Kevin? You let her turn into one of those things?" he spat, turning to Kevin with a glare.

"She said a dog bit her," Kevin protested, his arms up in defence.

"No I didn't. I told you it was a panther, and you made me change my story," Tracy said contemptuously.

"Mom?" came a small voice from behind Warren and his buddies.

"David," Tracy said, holding out her arms. A little boy appeared from behind her and threw himself into her arms, looking frightened.

"Mommy, what's happening?" he asked, and his voice sounded strange, to Myka. Like it had an echo.

"Nothing, honey. Grandpa was just leaving with his friends, to go hunting, right Dad?" she said, with a glare at Warren.

"Yes, of course," Warren said hastily, obviously not wanting to make a scene in front of his grandson.

"Okay David, wave goodbye to your grandpa and his friends," Tracy said, smiling broadly and a little psychotically at her Dad. Myka was impressed. And a little frightened.

"Bye, Grandpa," David said, waving. Warren smiled queasily and turned with a final glare at Myka and her friends.

"David, why don't you stay here for a minute with the doggie and I'll just talk to Kevin for a moment," Tracy said, before practically dragging a spluttering Kevin through to the other downstairs room.

David went to cuddle with Pete, who, while very much not looking like a dog, licked the kid's face from chin to hairline, making him giggle.

"You're a nice doggie," he said, laughing to himself.

Pete's answering thought made Myka chuckle.

Sure, kid. You keep thinking that.

"You're not a dog?" the kid asked, confused.

"What did you say?" Myka asked, and Pete drew back from the kid's hands in confusion.

Did you just hear me, kid?

"Of course I heard you, you're talking in my head," David replied to Pete, matter-of-fact.

"Oh shit," Myka said, her head dropping to her hands.

"You're not supposed to say that word, Aunt Myka," David said solemnly, turning to her with a chastising look on his face.

"How did you know my name?" she asked, and then held her hand up. "Never mind. You heard someone say it in your head, right?"

"Yes," he said, his little face crumpled in confusion.

I'm gonna change into a human now, kid.

"Okay, Pete," the kid chirped. Myka groaned.

"Oh no," David said, tragically. He was, Myka had to admit, a cute kid. He had pretty green eyes and curls. He looked a little like Myka, in fact.

"What's up, kid?" Myka asked.

"My mom is telling Kevin that she's leaving him, because he called Grandpa to come here and hurt you and Pete and Amanda," he said, sadly.

"Oh," Myka said, sitting down next to the kid. "I'm sorry about that, kid."

"It's okay, Aunt Myka," he said, jumping up and sitting on her knee, surprising her intensely. "He shouldn't have done that. I wouldn't want anyone to hurt you or Pete or Amanda. You seem really nice."

"Thanks, kid," Myka said, and he hugged her gently, before jumping down and running to watch Pete change from wolf to human.

"Wow," he said, and Pete chuckled, dressing quickly, as Amanda and Myka looked at each other in bemusement. That explained the weird echo she could hear when he talked, she supposed. But did he tell everyone he could hear them the way he'd just told them?

"No, Aunt Myka," he said, sounding a little annoyed. "I heard that you could hear thoughts too and that Pete and Amanda knew so I figured it would be okay."

"Oh, yeah, of course, kid," she said, and slammed her mental shields up, pouring as much energy into them as she could.

Can you hear me now, kid?

He turned to look at her.

"Where did you go, Aunt Myka?" he asked, looking worried. "I couldn't hear you for a minute."

"It's okay, little man. I can make my thoughts private, so no-one can hear them but me. You don't need to worry," she said carefully.

"Okay," he said, frowning slightly but then smiling as Pete turned around and he saw him in full human form for the first time.

"Hey Pete!" he said, and Pete offered him a high five.

"Hey little dude," Pete said, clearly happy that the kid wasn't scared of him.

"I couldn't be scared of you, Pete, you're like the cutest wolf ever," David said, his face confused again.

"Ah but what about if I turn into a dragon?" Pete said, and chased David around the room with his 'claws' as David squealed in delight.

"Is he always like this?" Amanda asked, watching Pete run around like an idiot.

"I haven't ever seen this side of him, I have to be honest," Myka said, smiling as she watched him run around, tickling David when he caught him.

"It's cute," Amanda said, and Myka smiled at her.

"It is," she agreed easily. It looked like whatever Pete had going on with regard to Amanda wasn't entirely one-sided. And if Amanda made Pete happy? Well, that was just fine by Myka.

The talking from the other room suddenly escalated into shouting, and Kevin barged out of the room, shouting at Tracy. His face was red.

"Pack your shit up and get out!" he shouted, before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

She's leaving me I can't believe she's leaving me what am I gonna do now…

His thoughts faded away as he followed Warren and his friends further down the street. Myka breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Tracy followed a minute later, turning to Myka.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said, her eyes full of tears.

"It's okay, Mom. Aunt Myka will help. Won't you, Aunt Myka?" David said, walking over to her and taking her hand trustingly.

"Sure, kid. Whatever I can do," Myka said. Like she was able to say anything else, with the kid looking at her that way?

"You don't have to do anything of the sort, Myka," Tracy said, sitting at the table and putting her head in her hands. "This isn't your fault. It's been a long time coming."

"Look, I'm sure that's true, but I'm also sure this hasn't helped any," Myka said.

"No. But if it wasn't this, it would have been something else," Tracy said wearily. "I'm just glad I didn't marry him."

Myka kept her thoughts on that subject to herself.

"Look, why don't you pack your stuff up and come back to our hotel with us for now, and we can take it from there. What do you think?" Myka asked, trying for sympathetic. She wasn't great with emotional trauma; never had been.

"Okay," Tracy said, nodding, and she kissed David absently before heading upstairs to pack.

"Damn," Pete said, his brow furrowed.

"I know," David said, sadly. "She's really sad. She likes Kevin a lot. But he isn't very nice."

"Why's that, buddy?" Pete asked.

"He says nasty things about people all the time. My mom says we shouldn't call people names but he does it all the time."

"Oh. That kinda sucks, huh?" Pete said, scratching his head.

"Yeah. My mom says it doesn't hurt to be kind."

"She's not wrong there," Pete said seriously, and Amanda smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, and Myka smiled to herself, seeing it. Definitely not one-sided.

"Aunt Myka, are we coming home with you?" David suddenly asked.

"Uh… I don't know, David. Why do you ask?" Myka asked, wondering where that had come from.

"Well, doesn't it make sense, if mom is going to be one of these half-panther thingies, for Aunt Amanda and Uncle Pete to show her how to do it?" he asked, all innocent eyes and fluttering eyelashes.

"Um… well, maybe," she said, her mind whirling. She truly hadn't thought about that as an option, but it did actually make sense. It just meant she would have to have house guests, which she wasn't sure about. "I guess we'll talk about it when we get to the hotel. Okay buddy?"

"Sure," he said, with a wide smile, and went to sit in the corner where Pete was already on the floor playing with some toy cars.

Myka went to find Tracy upstairs to see if she could help with the packing. She left David with Pete and Amanda, who seemed more than happy to entertain the kid for now. She and Tracy packed up clothes and pictures and knick knacks, boxing them all up quickly, Myka following Tracy's unspoken directions. She realised that she hadn't told Tracy about her gift, yet.

They finished the packing after a few hours, during which Tracy said very little, her eyes red and swollen. Myka got Amanda and Pete to move the boxes into their rental car, since they were possessed of superhuman strength.

"Might as well make the best of their abilities," she said, with a shrug, as Tracy looked at her questioningly when she piled the boxes up on top of an overloaded-looking Amanda.

When they had packed everything up and Tracy took David to the car, Myka followed along, locking the door behind her and posting the key through the letterbox. When she got to the rental car, Amanda and Pete were arguing like an old married couple about how to put the car seat in for the kid. Myka could clearly feel Tracy's frustration, but she was apparently a little too timid to point out that she knew how to do it. Myka tapped Pete on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked, looking annoyed.

"You might want to just let Tracy do that, guys. She's the mom, remember?" she said, and Pete and Amanda looked at her sheepishly. Pete then turned to Tracy and apologised.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bering. I just got a little carried away."

"It's fine," Tracy said, and she seemed to mean it. She stuck her head inside the car and there were a few clunks from inside, and the car seat was safely installed. Myka hid a smile behind her hand.


	15. Chapter 15

_You know what I realised the other day? I've got this far into this fic without recommending my favourite Bering and Wells vampire fanfic… How is that even possible? Anyway, it's "The Club" by RacetheWind_10. It can be found on this website, but I cannot work out how to post a link, so, go have a search. It is *not* suitable for work. But it is awesome vampire smut._

So… Myka, Pete and Amanda are in Colorado. They have collected a half-were and a telepathic kid. What could go wrong?

* * *

They drove to the hotel and after a little rearranging, they managed to find enough room for David and Tracy without booking another room. Myka asked Tracy if they could speak in private.

"There's something else I need to tell you," she said, and Tracy nodded, clearly curious. "It's kind of a long story."

"Okay," Tracy said, and they got David set up in Pete's room with some sort of games console. By the time they left him with Pete and Amanda, they were already heavily involved in some game that involved killing aliens with extreme prejudice. All three of them. Myka shook her head in amusement as she left them to their world-saving activity.

Tracy sat on one bed, and Myka sat herself against the headboard of the other. She took a deep breath before launching into her story.

"Okay. Well, I should probably start at the beginning," Myka said. Tracy nodded, her eyes narrowing.

Myka told her why Warren Bering had abandoned her, and Tracy's eyes widened, and her eyes darted to the door, apparently involuntarily.

"It's okay, Tracy. I know what it sounds like. I can prove it, if you like. And I'm not keeping you here – you can go anytime you like. We'll even drop you off, wherever you want to go."

Tracy nodded at her uncertainly.

"So, think of something that I would have no idea about. Preferably that no-one has any idea about. Or some stupid words. Something you can be pretty sure no-one else could know unless they can hear your thoughts," Myka said, and she let her shields down.

 _What the hell is she talking about? Is she insane? I think she really believes this…_

"Tracy, you don't have to trust me. Just, humour the crazy lady and think of something and we can move on."

Tracy nodded uneasily.

 _Fine. Okay. Something weird. Purple fluffy bunnies with bananas on their feet._

Myka smiled. "Purple fluffy bunnies with bananas on their feet."

Tracy stared at her, looking almost terrified.

 _Shit! No, wait. Maybe that was something we used to say when we were kids. What's my password for my bank account? Dav1dismylife…_

"Your bank password is David is my life. With a 1 instead of an I, in David's name."

Tracy blanched.

"You know," Myka continued, "my friend Claudia would say that's a terrible password. She makes me change mine about three times a week, it feels like."

Tracy looked at her in complete confusion.

"Sorry," Myka said. "I babble when I'm nervous."

"I… is this real? I feel like I'm high right now," Tracy admitted.

"Yeah. Welcome to my world," Myka said wryly. For some reason, that relaxed Tracy more than anything else Myka had said.

"So this was why Dad… why they sent you away?" Tracy asked, after a protracted silence.

"Yes. I told him, when I was very young, about a guy who was checking him out. The guy thought he had a nice ass. Of course I didn't really know what he was talking about, but I told Dad, and he asked me about it later, and I told him I could hear the guy talking in my head. I guess that, after a while, it freaked them out too much. The social worker took me away, and that was the last I saw of you all, until today," Myka said, matter-of-fact. She wasn't over the loss of her family, but she felt something… something strong, something warm, sitting here with Tracy, with David in the next room. His acceptance of her as his aunt had been entirely natural, and he had already begun to take up space in her heart.

They went to get some dinner, after Myka's confession. They chatted for a while about inconsequential things before deciding it was time to talk about the future again.

"You know, I hadn't really thought very far ahead when I asked you to help me leave Kevin," Tracy began. Myka nodded. "I don't know what to do. I don't know many people. I have some friends here, still, but I don't think any of them are going to understand or even believe me about this were stuff. And from what Amanda said about the were community, they're not ready to come out yet, not for a long time, if ever."

"Okay," Myka said, nodding.

"So I was thinking that maybe I could come with you to Mississippi for a while."

Myka paused, her mind whirling.

"Uh… um…"

"I don't have anywhere to go, Myka."

Tracy's face was pathetic, and she looked like the little girl that Myka remembered. And technically she'd only been pulled into this because of Myka. And Myka did have the room. Myka owed her.

"I… I guess that would be all right," Myka said, trying not to sound too reluctant. She didn't really like kids, and while David seemed like a great kid, he was still a kid. She had never lived with a kid.

"Thank you," Tracy said, throwing her arms around Myka's neck. "You are the best possibly fictional sister a girl could ask for."

Myka laughed, hugging Tracy back gingerly. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

The following afternoon she was rethinking that attitude. Claudia had managed to book them on a relatively early flight, during which David had cried the whole time. He had some sort of an issue with his ears or nose, and the pressure was making his ears hurt. So he made everyone else's ears hurt, too. Myka was disgusted to realise that Pete had brought his own earplugs; he just went to sleep, while Myka endured one of the worst headaches she'd had in a long time. Amanda looked like she was ready to throttle the kid, and Tracy was wan and red-eyed from trying to comfort him.

Thankfully he went to sleep as soon as Myka settled him in the tiny third bedroom that she'd been using as an office. It had a fold-out couch that she made up quickly, and Tracy carried David upstairs carefully. He was already asleep, having been dosed liberally with some medicine that Tracy had picked up at the first drugstore they encountered on the drive back from the airport. Myka settled Tracy in the main guest room, which thankfully was already made up and had a real bed rather than a fold-out couch. Myka had rented the house fully furnished. She'd never intended on having guests but the house was set up with the furnishings, including drapes and bedding, so she figured there was no harm in keeping the place prepared. Tracy began to unpack, and she asked Myka to stay with her, to talk for a while. Myka agreed, but only if she could have coffee first. Tracy asked if she could have some too, so Myka made a pot and brought the mugs upstairs, sitting cross-legged on the surprisingly comfortable guest bed, leaning against the wall behind her.

"So what's it like, hearing people's thoughts?" Tracy asked as she put a shirt on a hanger.

"It's just like hearing someone talk, only it's inside your head. But only people tell the truth inside their heads, so you get to hear what they really mean. The thoughts - they come with emotions, too, and sometimes pictures. It… I only really started using it recently. Before that, my ability was all screwed up. When dad abandoned me, I ended up going to a lot of different foster homes. There was one in particular where the father worked out my ability and started using me to make money. Blackmailing people for their secrets, getting PINs for ATM cards, that sort of thing. But he… he was abusive, and I realised quickly that it didn't matter if I did what he asked or not – he still beat the crap out of me, and I decided that day not to use the ability again. So I tried to bury it, tried not to listen, and after a while it didn't work anymore. It became more of a liability than an ability," she said, staring at her nails fixedly. When she looked up, Tracy was watching her with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Myka," she whispered. "What mom and dad did – I… God. I can't believe they would do that to their own daughter."

Myka just shrugged. She was used to the pain of it, now. It didn't make it any less, but she had learned to take the weight of it.

"I'm sorry about Kevin. He seemed…"

"He was an asshole," Tracy cut through Myka's attempt to be nice about her ex. "He wanted a woman to control and push around, and that's what he got, with me. I was happy with that, at first. It felt safe, someone else in charge, telling me how to do things. I was so lost, when David came along. But things were getting worse, with him, and I was thinking of ways to get away. You coming to find me, and the werepanther thing – that gave me the perfect out. So thank you, Myka."

"I don't think you'll be thanking me by the time the full moon rolls around," Myka said, taking a deep breath. What Amanda had done was unconscionable. Forcing something like this on someone for spite. She seemed to be incredibly sorry, but sorry didn't help, not when you had basically changed someone's whole life to spite someone else.

"It wasn't your fault, Myka," Tracy said softly. "Amanda explained to me what happened. Jesus, you nearly died, Myka. A vampire saved you? Is that right? How?" She looked curious and calm, not at all like she had earlier, with Kevin and their father.

"Well. That's kind of a long story," Myka began, and she tentatively let her shields drop a little, enough to feel the flavour of Tracy's reaction. If Tracy was going to judge her for her relationship with Helena, then they might have to rethink Tracy living here. "Helena – she's the vampire. I met her a while ago at a crime scene. She's hunting a vampire who is killing local kids."

"Shit!" Tracy said, clearly appalled. Myka realised, extremely belatedly, that David was now in danger from Christina.

"Don't worry," Myka said. "I won't let anything happen to David, I promise you. I'll keep a deputy stationed to watch him 24 hours a day, if necessary."

Tracy nodded. There was a slight hint of fear but a steady confidence in Myka coming through from her that warmed Myka and made her feel stronger, somehow. Tracy continued folding clothes and Myka took a deep breath before continuing.

"So. Helena is a vampire, she offered her help on this case. The vampire involved is her daughter. Helena is nearly 200 years old. During the civil war, some men killed Christina, Helena's daughter, and Helena felt she had no choice but to make her a vampire, because at least that way she'd still be alive." Myka felt Tracy's horror, her fear of losing her own son that way, and her understanding of what Helena had done.

"I think I would have done the same," Tracy said, her face twisted in sympathy. "I couldn't stand there and watch my son die without doing anything."

"Yeah. I get that. But it turns out that child vampires are insane, and Christina was crazy from the word go. Helena's maker was kind of a psycho too, and he let the kid run amok; let her kill anyone she wanted. Helena tried to stop them, but in the end she left them because they wouldn't stop killing. Neither of them have ever forgiven her. So the kid runs around killing kids, for whatever crazy reason, and Helena has tried to kill her before, but she couldn't."

Tracy nodded again. From what Myka could tell, her sister seemed to be a fairly open-minded and she thought before she spoke, which was unusual.

"Helena is working with the Sheriff's Department to try to find Christina and her maker and stop them. But in the meantime, we kind of… hit it off, I guess. I can't hear her thoughts, and I…" Myka paused, trying to think of a way to explain how Helena made her feel.

"Are you two an item?" Tracy asked, abruptly, cutting through Myka's thought processes once again.

"Yes," Myka said, and she dropped her shields as much as she could to read Tracy's reaction. She was a little surprised, but there wasn't any hint of judgement or disgust or anything that Myka might have expected from someone raised by Warren Bering.

"Is it nice, not being able to hear what she's thinking?" Tracy asked, and her mind was all curiosity and openness. No judgement, just interest in what Myka had to say. Myka pulled her shields back up, and sighed slightly in relief, both at the quiet and Tracy's acceptance.

"Yes. It's amazing, actually," Myka said, as she let herself think about how it felt, being with Helena. Sitting on the porch, watching the stars, with no thoughts but her own.

"She… she's different, you know? Because she's a vampire, and because she's so old. She was born before the civil war, and she's English. She's incredible," Myka said, and she knew she sounded dreamy, but she couldn't help it.

"Do you love her?" Tracy asked, a soft smile on her face.

"I don't know," Myka admitted. "It's early, still. It's only been a few weeks since we met. But being with her – it's so different. I've only had a few boyfriends before and I… Well. When we were – you know, intimate? This gift, if you want to call it that, is much stronger. So you hear what they're thinking; you can't block it out. I don't know if all guys are the same, but mostly my boyfriends were thinking about someone else or thinking that they wished I would let them do this or that to me instead, and I could never let myself go, you know?"

Tracy sat on the bed next to her and nodded.

"I can imagine that's… very difficult."

"Yeah," Myka said, chuckling. "I told Helena about this just recently. One guy was thinking about the pizza delivery guy. It kind of broke the mood," she said, and Tracy snorted.

"Is she the first woman you've been with?" Tracy asked, curiously.

"Yes. I mean, I went to college, studied criminology and all that, and people always said you should experiment. So I kissed a few girls. But Helena – she's so different, to anyone I've ever met. The silence is amazing, but there's something about her. She's compelling. Fascinating."

"Wow," Tracy said. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Well, it won't be long. She comes by most evenings. If not tonight, I'm sure you'll meet her tomorrow," Myka said.

As it happened, Tracy did meet Helena later that same night. But not in the circumstances any of them expected. Tracy went to bed around 4 in the afternoon, exhausted – probably from the emotional turmoil - and after talking to Pete and Amanda, Myka decided to go to Helena's house that evening instead. Amanda wanted to stay and watch over Tracy and David, and Pete said he would stay with her. So Myka let herself in to Helena's place just before sundown. She filled the huge hot tub and poured some wine for herself, and when she felt Helena approaching, she put some Tru Blood in the microwave.

"Hello, my love," Helena said, suddenly standing behind Myka, her breath whispering over Myka's nape. Myka turned to take her in, and she stood there for a moment, just enjoying the sight.

"Hey," she said, lazily. She leaned forward, barely brushing Helena's lips with hers, and she smiled when she heard Helena's fangs extend, a soft "snick" in the almost silent kitchen. The microwave beeped a few seconds later, and she handed Helena the now-warm bottle.

"I missed you," Helena said, her eyes crinkling in that way that Myka loved. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was an indication of amusement. Or happiness, perhaps.

"I missed you, too," Myka admitted. "I met my sister. And my nephew."

"Oh?" Helena asked, indicating that Myka should continue by raising one eyebrow in question.

"Yeah. Tracy – she's really nice. I think you'll like her," Myka said.

"I _will_ like her? Does that mean she is here? Or are we planning a trip to Colorado?" Helena asked.

"She's here," Myka said, taking a sip from her wine. She took Helena's hand in her free hand and pulled her towards the bathroom, where the tub was now filled with fragrant, bubbly hot water. Helena loved to be immersed in hot water.

"Why did she return with you?" Helena asked as she stripped quickly, and helped Myka to remove her own tight jeans and boots. They both sank into the hot water, sighing as they did so.

"She left her boyfriend," Myka said. "He called up a posse, basically, to attack Pete, Amanda and me. Because we're freaks. So Tracy left him. I have house guests," she said, sighing. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Your sister and her child are staying with you? For how long?" Helena asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Myka said.

There was quiet for a moment, and then Myka added, "My father was one of the people who came to attack us. They had shotguns and crowbars and baseball bats. They were going to hurt us. My dad came to my sister's house, intent on harming me and my friends. I mean, what is that?" she asked, her mouth tightening.

Helena hissed beside her, and Myka turned to look at her. Her fangs were out, she was almost snarling, and her eyes were black, the pupils huge. She looked terrifying.

"He tried to hurt you?" Helena snarled.

"Yes. I don't know what they were going to do, Helena. It's one thing to abandon a kid, but was he going to try to kill us? Hurt us? What the hell were they going to do?"

Helena's hissing increased in volume. She was furious, a growl rumbling almost silently in her chest. Myka could feel it when she put her hand on Helena's sternum.

"He's gone, now, Helena. He can't hurt me. He's a disgusting excuse for a human being, but he's not a threat," Myka said. "I just don't understand how fear can make people do stuff like that."

Helena calmed down as Myka rubbed her shoulders and stroked her face gently. She was still furious, however. Her fangs didn't retract and her eyes remained darker than Myka had ever seen them.

They didn't talk for a while. Helena pulled Myka close so that Myka's back was against her chest. Her skin was cool, even in the hot water, and Myka sighed as she relaxed against the vampire. They stayed there for a while, wrapped up in one another, kissing every now and then. Myka told Helena a little about David and his sharing of her ability to read minds. They chatted a little more and after a while they left the bath, moving to the bed together. Helena made love to Myka single-mindedly, over and over again, until Myka couldn't speak, never mind return the favour. She drifted off to sleep with Helena cradling her gently.

It was four in the morning when the shouting woke Myka. It was a kid's voice, and he was scared. He was calling her name. It took her a minute or so to wake, as the volume of the shouting increased. To her surprise, Helena was still next to her. How could she not hear the noise?

"Helena. Can't you hear that?" Myka said, puzzled.

"I can hear nothing, Myka. What do you hear?" Helena said, after listening for a moment.

"I can hear a little boy. He's calling my name," Myka said.

"What's he saying?" Helena asked.

"He's saying, no, Myka, don't hurt her, not Myka, please," Myka said, concentrating.

Helena was quiet for a moment, and then she frowned a little.

"Myka, your nephew is a telepath. Is it possible that he can speak to you telepathically, as well as hear your thoughts?" Helena asked carefully.

"I don't know," Myka said, still disoriented and confused.

"Perhaps we should check on the child, and make sure that everyone is safe in your home," Helena said.

"Can't hurt," Myka said, shrugging. They dressed and got in Myka's car. They were silent for the few minutes that it took to drive to her house, and when she got there, it looked silent. She opened the front door and found Pete and Amanda asleep on the couch and chair in the living room. Pete was moving around a little, restless, muttering. Myka let her mental shields drop for a moment and listened to what was going on in his head.

He was reliving the attack on her by Sally in her panther form. In his nightmare he was watching her die, not saving her as he'd done in real life. He was frantic. This dream must have been what David was tuning in to and projecting out at Myka.

"We need to go wake him up. He's hearing, or seeing, Pete's dream. He's seeing Sally attack me," Myka said, and Helena let out another low growl beside her. "I'll wake Tracy first, she can wake David."

Helena nodded silently and they made their way to the guest room currently housing Tracy Bering. She knocked on the door, and Tracy's sleepy voice called out, "Come in!"

Myka went in and sat on the edge of the bed, explaining that David was having a bad dream but she didn't want to wake him herself.

"Okay, I'll wake him," Tracy said, confused and tired. She saw Helena outside her door and stopped, introducing herself.

"I am Helena Wells," the vampire said formally, bowing slightly and shaking Tracy's hand. Tracy looked awed.

"Come on, David isn't doing so great," Myka said. The dream was intense and he was still calling out in distress. It occurred to Myka then that she should really have woken Pete, first.

They opened the door and the little guy was moving around restlessly, his bed sodden with sweat and his face scrunched up.

"David? David, honey. Mommy's here. Everything's okay," Tracy said, sitting on the side of the bed and stroking his sweat-slick hair back from his forehead. The kid woke up slowly. As soon as sense returned, he saw Myka standing next to Tracy and he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Aunt Myka! The bad cat was trying to hurt you! She bit you!" he said, tears streaming from his eyes. It was heart-breaking.

"Hey, honey," she said, sinking to her knees and cuddling him close, "the cat didn't get me. I'm okay, honey. It was just a dream, okay?"

He clung to her, shaking, and nodded.

"I promise it's okay," she said again. "I'm fine. Look at me."

She pulled back from the little boy, showing him that she was well and whole. His chin was trembling but he nodded again, looking a little more convinced.

"I can still hear her, Aunt Myka. The bad cat," he said, the tears threatening to return.

"Helena?" Myka said, turning her head slightly. "Could you go wake Pete and Amanda up for me?"

"Of course," Helena said, disappearing in a blur. Tracy took in a gasping breath, and David gaped.

"That's my friend Helena. She's a vampire," Myka said.

"Wow," the little guy said, his mouth still hanging open. "I never met a vampire before. I can't hear her, Aunt Myka," he said in a whisper.

"I know, David. I can't either," Myka said, and Tracy raised an eyebrow at her. "Why don't we get you changed into some dry PJs and we'll make some hot chocolate. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, Aunt Myka," he said, smiling. She sent him to the bathroom to change, with a little help from Tracy, and then turned to see Tracy watching her.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Tracy asked, and her tone was… a little scary, if Myka was being honest.

"David… he can hear thoughts. He's a telepath, like me," Myka confessed. Tracy looked at her, expressionless.

"Did you… infect him with this, the way Amanda did to me?" she asked, pointing at her bandaged arm.

"No," Myka said immediately. "Of course not. He's always been able to do it."

"That can't be true. He never said a word," Tracy said, flatly.

"I know it must be difficult to hear, Tracy. But he is a telepath. I was asleep, Tracy, in Helena's house. It's not far, but it's not within earshot. He was shouting my name, crying in his sleep. He woke me from a couple of miles away, shouting inside my head. He's a telepath, Tracy, and he might even be stronger than I am. I need to speak to a friend of mine, Artie. See if there's anything we can do to help him," Myka said. Her face was creased up in worry for the kid, and, seeing that, Tracy's face relaxed a little.

"Okay, Myka," she said with a slightly dramatic sigh. "I guess I'm gonna have to do things your way for now. But if my boy gets hurt, Myka? You will wish you never met me."

Myka stared at her. There were quiet voices coming from downstairs, and she decided that retreat might be the better option, here. Her newly-discovered sister was more than a little scary.

"I would never hurt your son, Tracy," she said quietly, before turning and heading downstairs. She went to the kitchen and quickly made two mugs of thick hot chocolate, bringing them to Tracy before heading back down to check on Pete and Amanda.

She found Pete sitting up, wrapped in a blanket, and Amanda next to him, with Helena standing uncertainly nearby.

"Are you okay, Pete?" Myka asked, taking in Amanda's closeness to Pete, her arm hovering over his.

"Yeah, boss. I'm sorry. I guess I was having a nightmare. I… I didn't know the kid would pick up on it. I'm sorry he woke you up. You need to get your rest, Ma'am. You've been through a lot recently," he said, looking concerned.

"Pete, you don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. And when I can't, there seem to be an inexhaustible supply of superhuman beings around here who do that for me. You can't go worrying about me this much. I'm not your responsibility," she said, frowning.

"Yes you are!" he burst out, jumping up out of his seat. "Mrs Frederic asked me to keep you safe, and I just keep on failing you both. People keep on hurting you, Myka, and I never get there fast enough."

His face was red and he was almost in tears, his jaw and fists clenched. Amanda stood up next to him, rubbing his arm soothingly, coaxing one fist open with her fingers. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Pete," Myka said, quietly. "Without you, I'd be dead. I would be dead and gone and none of us would be having this conversation. You jumped in front of a bullet for me. You took on two panthers for me. You were ready to attack MacPherson for me, and as far as I understand it, you could easily have been killed. What more do you suppose you should have done? You're not a psychic, are you? Should you have known exactly when I was going to be attacked, and by who?"

He shook his head a little at that, staring at his bare feet.

"Then, you did your best, soldier. Am I right? You did your very best to save my ass, and so far, I'm still standing. You can't stop me from getting hurt, Pete. It happens to everyone," she said gently. She reached out and took Helena's hand, pulling her to the back porch, leaving Pete to be comforted by Amanda.

"Is everyone all right?" Helena asked quietly.

"I guess," Myka said doubtfully. "Tracy pretty much threatened to kill me if David gets hurt, and Pete thinks he's responsible for whether I live or die, and is having PTSD flashbacks or something about me being hurt. So that's awesome," she said flatly.

"All of this is no more your fault than you being attacked was Pete's," Helena said quietly. She moved to stand behind Myka, putting her arms around her. "You cannot take responsibility for the actions of others. And your nephew having your ability is not your fault, either. It's a simple matter of genetics," Helena said.

"How do you know that?" Myka asked. "That it's genetic, I mean?"

"He smells like you do," Helena admitted.

"You mean, he smells good to you, the way I do?" Myka asked.

"Yes," Helena said shortly. Myka turned in her arms. Helena looked troubled.

"Is that going to cause you problems?" Myka asked. "Resisting his blood, I mean? If you're around him?"

"No, of course not," Helena said, looking slightly offended. "But other vampires – should they come across the boy, they will find it difficult to resist biting him. You will need to warn Tracy, to keep the boy away from my kind. At all costs, Myka."

"Okay. I'm not sure she'll be able to do much against a vampire, but I'll tell her," Myka said doubtfully.

"You forget that your sister is a were now, Myka," Helena said, her face still a mask of concern.

"Oh, yeah. I guess. But still, she can't take on a vamp by herself, can she?" Myka asked.

"No, but she could certainly hold a vampire off for a while," Helena said, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"What is it?" Myka asked, tilting her head slightly as she took in Helena's distraction.

"It's nothing, Myka. I just… realised something. Would you take it very much amiss if I were to leave you for the remainder of the night?" Helena asked. It wasn't really a question, however. She was clearly set on going, so Myka just nodded. She wasn't sure what was wrong with Helena, but she was sure that something was. She was equally sure that, whatever it was, Helena was not going to talk about it right now. Helena kissed her, stroking the side of her neck with cool fingers, before disappearing.

Myka took a deep breath. She felt uneasy because something was wrong with Helena, but also because she was concerned for David. She didn't know what to do for a five-year old telepath. She'd only just recently got a grip on her own abilities.

That's when she remembered – she needed Arthur Nielsen. He'd helped her to establish her shields. Perhaps he could do the same for David? She went to find his number, still in her wallet from when Mrs Frederic had forced it on her, and gave him a call. It was really early in the morning, and she knew he'd probably grouch at her, but she needed his help.

"Hello?"

It was Dr Calder who answered. Apparently Artie's office phone forwarded to his home number at night.

"Dr Calder? It's Myka Bering. I'm so sorry about the early hour. Is Artie around?" Myka asked, her voice apologetic.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Sheriff. Is everything okay?" Dr Calder asked.

"Yes. Well, sort of. I just… I have another telepath on my hands, and I kind of need Artie's help."

"Okay, Myka. Are you at home?"

"Yes Ma'am," Myka said, and then frowned at herself. She was calling people Ma'am again.

"I'll send him to you," Dr Calder said, before hanging up. Myka looked at the receiver for a moment and then shrugged. It made her life easier, she supposed, if he came over.

She put the kettle on, for want of anything better to do, and made up a pot of tea. If anyone wanted any, they could help themselves. She was tired and emotional and worried. It was almost five in the morning, and she was on shift at 9. She had no idea how she was going to get through the day on just a few hours' sleep.

Pete and Amanda came to join her at the small kitchen table, saying nothing but helping themselves to tea and cookies, which she got out of the kitchen cupboard after hearing Pete's stomach rumble. They sat in silence for around 20 minutes, after which point there was a knock at the door. Myka got up to answer it, ignoring the confused looks from Amanda and Pete.

"Artie, hi," she said, taking in the rumpled man's scowl. He had dark circles under his eyes.

"Hmmph. Where is the boy?" he said, stumping past her into the house.

"Sure, I'm fine Artie, thanks for asking," she mumbled resentfully under her breath.

She closed the door and showed him to the small guest room where David was sitting up in bed, his mother beside him.

"Hey guys, this is my friend Artie. He helped me to control my abilities, and he might be able to help you too, David," Myka said, gesturing at the rumpled lawyer. Tracy looked at him dubiously.

"Are you sure about this, Myka?" she asked, clearly concerned. Myka didn't blame him. Artie didn't inspire confidence.

"I am half-demon, Miss Bering. My demon side gives me telepathic abilities. I have been helping telepaths since before you were born. Now, do you want my help, or not?" he asked, his nostrils flaring in annoyance as he glared at Tracy.

"All right," Tracy said. "I'm sorry. It's just – he's my son. I didn't even know he could do this," she said, her voice becoming almost a whine.

"It's a lot to adjust to," Artie said, his voice strangely sympathetic. "Especially after finding out that you are a were, too. I understand."

She nodded at him, and Myka watched, a little taken aback by how pleasant Artie was being.

"Now, young man, I am going to block off your gift for a little while. To let you get some sleep, first of all. But I want you to come and see me soon, so that I can teach you how to do it for yourself. If that's okay with you, Miss Bering?" he said, looking at Tracy.

"Sure," Tracy said. "If Myka trusts you, I trust you."

Myka felt strangely warmed by Tracy's comment. Really, her sister had no reason to trust her. She'd brought nothing but mayhem into her life. It might not have been her fault, exactly, but these changes in Tracy's life – they'd happened because of Myka. She hadn't asked for them, nor had she particularly wanted them.

Artie touched his fingers gently to David's temples for a few minutes. He had his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, David's eyes popped open too.

"I can't hear anything!" he said, his eyes open wide.

"I know, son," Artie said carefully. "This is what it's like for everyone else. They can't hear thoughts. They can only hear what people say out loud."

"It feels weird," David complained, scratching at his head.

"It's only temporary," Artie said. "If your mother is happy, you can come see me soon and we'll start teaching you how to build your shields so you don't have to listen to people all the time. Sometimes it's too loud, isn't it?" he said, tilting his head sympathetically at the boy.

"Yeah," David admitted, still touching his head gingerly as if trying to find the 'on' switch for his ability.

"It's okay, buddy," Myka said. "I couldn't hear things properly for a really long time. Artie helped me fix it so I could listen if I wanted, and block people out when I didn't want to. Do you remember, how you couldn't hear me, yesterday?"

The boy nodded solemnly.

"I was using my shields, to keep my thoughts private. You can learn to do that, too," she said.

"Okay, Aunt Myka," he said, sighing dramatically. He lay down and turned his back on them. "I have to go to sleep now."

"Uh… okay, David," Myka said, biting back a laugh. Tracy caught her eye and smiled. They all stood and Artie left the room first, muttering to himself. Myka left Tracy to put David to bed, and went downstairs on the half-demon's heels.

"He is almost as strong as you, already," Artie said when they reached the bottom of the stairs. "He will need a lot of help."

"I know," Myka said. He had to be strong, to have spoken to her, mind-to-mind from miles away in his sleep. "Let me get them settled in and I'll call you and arrange an appointment."

"Very well," Artie said grumpily. "Try not to make it the middle of the night, next time."

He stumped out of the house and Myka watched him go, shaking her head slightly. The man was a grumpy ass. But he had helped her when he didn't need to. She closed the door and went to sit with Pete and Amanda. Tracy joined them a while later and they watched morning television until it was time for Myka to go to work. She left Tracy with Pete and Amanda, who promised to keep an eye on things and take her anywhere she needed to go, at least until Pete's shift started that night. She left them, her mind racing, running over all of the events of the last few days. She hadn't expected to end up with house guests – possibly permanent house guests – after this weekend. She knew that she would need to offer help to Tracy, but she hadn't counted on David and his abilities. And now something was off, with Helena. She tried to put it out of her mind but it stayed in the background, niggling at her, as she dealt with the usual business of law enforcement in a small town.


	16. Chapter 16

_Helena pulls a disappearing act, Myka meets some new vampires, and finds out what's so special about her blood._

* * *

Helena didn't show up that night. She sent a brief text message explaining that she had some business to take care of, but Myka was uneasy. Helena had always been so… well, clingy wasn't really a word you could apply to a vampire, exactly. But she'd been present, and it had always been clear that she had wanted, almost craved, Myka's company. Myka didn't know what had changed. She knew that it had something to do with David, with her own blood and his, but she wasn't sure what it could possibly be. Or why it was such a problem.

Thankfully, it was a quiet night. David played with his toys, and they all joined him on the living room floor to play cars and superheroes. Amanda played video games with him until it was time for him to go to bed. She'd stayed when Pete went to work, because she wanted to make sure that Tracy didn't turn early, which was a possibility for new weres, apparently. And she wanted to keep them both safe – it was her responsibility, she said. Myka was getting used to having people around professing their desire to keep her safe, so she just shrugged. As long as they were okay on the couch, she was fine.

When Helena didn't turn up for a second night, Myka began to worry. The station was quiet and there was no sign of MacPherson or Christina. She didn't hear from Helena after sundown, not even a text. So she decided to go over, just to make sure nothing was awry. She told her new housemates where she was going, and Pete threw her a look of concern, but after she glared at him, he backed off. She didn't have to listen in to know he was concerned about her safety, especially with Helena being out of contact. But Helena was her… well, they hadn't really defined things. But Helena was her something, and she wasn't intending to just let her away with disappearing for no reason.

She knocked on the door and was surprised when a well-dressed, dark-haired woman answered the door, looking at her with disdain.

"Yes?" she said, one eyebrow raised. She was English. Myka started to feel concerned.

"I'm Myka. Is… is Helena here?" she asked, trying to sound brave. Something about this woman was setting her on edge. She tentatively dropped her shields, hearing… nothing.

"You're a vampire," she blurted, and immediately regretted it as the woman's lips drew back in a snarl, and fangs popped out.

"Who is it?" called someone behind her. A male voice – also English. "Charlotte?"

"We have a human guest," the vampire said, over her shoulder, while taking Myka by the upper arm and pulling her inside. Myka didn't bother resisting. She might be stronger than a human but she wasn't stronger than a vampire. Especially not this vampire.

"Myka? What are you doing here?" Helena asked. She was standing behind the owner of the other voice, a man Myka judged to be in his mid-forties. He was probably more like 500.

"I came to see you," Myka said simply. Helena looked… frightened. That was not a look that Myka was used to seeing on her face. It was deeply unsettling.

"This human. Why is she at your door, Helena?" Charlotte asked.

"I… she is the local sheriff. I assume she came to ask me about a case," Helena said, rather hurriedly.

"Really?" the man asked. He came to stand next to Myka, blurring across the room. She couldn't help but jump at his sudden appearance, his face inches from hers. The other vampire – Charlotte - had let her go for now. The male vampire grasped her chin in firm fingers, turning her face to look at her in profile and straight on. She pulled back from his grip, glaring.

"I don't know where you're from, but in this universe, we don't just grab people without asking permission," Myka said, her teeth gritted.

"In this universe, love, I do whatever I damn well please," he said, showing his fangs. She didn't change expression.

"Ah! A feisty one. I do like a challenge. You don't mind, do you, Helena? If she's just the Sheriff. I am terribly thirsty," he said, grabbing Myka and exposing her neck to his teeth. She couldn't move an inch. He had pulled her to his body and had one hand around the back of her neck. She might as well wrestle with a marble statue. She closed her eyes. Helena was really going to let this asshole bite her? What the hell was going on?

"Myka is mine," was the next thing she heard, Helena's voice coming out in a growl. It made Myka's hair stand on end. And it made her bristle. She wasn't anybody's. But given that the male vampire had released her immediately upon hearing those words, she wasn't going to complain, just yet.

He stepped back, staring at Helena incredulously.

"Really, Helena? After all these years, you've chosen a human? Aren't you the same woman who referred to them as cattle? And you were supposed to come here to search for your daughter, and for this half-fairy we've heard about, not to consort with humans!" he said, his face twisted in disgust.

"Mind you, she does… she smells…" the male turned to Myka again and sniffed at her, this time without touching.

"Helena Wells, did you manage to find yourself a fairy and you didn't tell anyone else? Is that why you called us! I knew it, you sly fox…The King will be extremely displeased…" he said, his mouth wide in a pleased grin. Helena blurred, pushing him away, and she stood in front of Myka, clearly protecting her.

"Enough! Myka is mine. You can challenge me for her if you wish, Bennett. But I would not be so sure, if I were you, that you will win such a contest," Helena said, in a growl. "I have been drinking her blood for weeks. I assure you, I will be no easy meat, not even for you."

"Fine, Helena. Keep your fairy. But we will tell Russell. And you will certainly not survive a fight with him. Come along, Bennett," Charlotte said, her head high and her nose practically in the air. "You'll be seeing us soon enough," she said, before she and Bennett blurred away.

"I'm sorry, Myka," Helena said, her head dropping. She turned to face Myka. "I didn't mean for you to find out that way."

"Which part?" Myka asked coolly. "That I'm some sort of half-fairy, or that you were hunting me from the start. What for? Because my blood makes you stronger? Is that all this was? You were just… you were just fucking me, so you could take my blood and what? Be stronger than the other vampires?"

"No, Myka. That wasn't it at all," Helena said, her eyes pleading. "I didn't know you were the human with the fairy blood. I knew there was one in the area – it was mentioned to me before I came here, searching for Christina. But honestly, Myka. I had no interest in that. I came here looking for Christina. I had no idea the fairy that I was told about was you. Not until I met your nephew, and I realised that he had your telepathy – and that his blood smelled like yours. I didn't mean for Charlotte and Bennett to come here. I only called them asking if this fairy had been found or not."

"Sure, Helena. You only just realised, after you'd been drinking my blood for weeks, and getting stronger. Right?" Myka said sceptically, withdrawing into herself as she realised how she'd been used.

"I did notice that I was stronger. I didn't put two and two together, Myka. I realised I could fly further and faster. And my glamour is stronger now. But I didn't think, Myka. I didn't realise. I knew you were special, but I just didn't think. I was too busy falling in love with you to think about any of that!" Helena said, in a rush. Myka stared at her.

"You… you're in love with me?" Myka asked, after a moment of stunned silence.

"Yes," Helena said, in a whisper. "Yes, I'm in love with you. Which is why I bought a house, why I glamoured a realtor into letting me move in right away instead of doing this escrow business. But I paid the full price for the house, Myka, I swear to you. I just wanted to settle in sooner, so that you knew… so that you knew I was serious about you. I swear to you, on my daughter's life, that I did not know you were the fairy the King of Mississippi told me about. I swear it," she said, sinking to her knees and looking up at Myka, adoration written on every line of her face.

Myka stood there, looking down at the powerful creature in front of her. This woman could rip her limbs off, could pull down buildings with her bare hands. And she was kneeling in front of Myka, telling her that she loved her.

"I will never drink from you again, Myka, if you do not wish it. This is not about blood for me, nor power. This is only about you, and I, and love. I love you," Helena said again, her eyes filling with bloody tears that then left trails on the skin of her pale cheeks.

"I love you too," Myka said quietly. "I hope you're not lying to me, Helena Wells, because if you are, you're going to break my heart."

Helena stared up at her.

"I love you, Myka. I swear, it is not a lie. I swear I would meet the sun tomorrow if it meant keeping you safe. I know you cannot hear my thoughts, as you can hear other humans' but if you could, you would hear only that I love you. I bought a home here because I could not bear the idea of leaving you, Myka. Please, believe me, my love," Helena said, her face a mess of blood.

Myka pulled her to her feet gently, pulling a tissue from her pocket and wiping Helena's face with it carefully.

"Okay, Helena. I trust you. You didn't know, and now you do. The question is, what are you going to do with the information? And what are Charlotte and Bennett going to do, about this fairy business? Because I don't know who the King of Mississippi is, but I'm gonna assume that not telling him about me will get you in a lot of trouble. Right?"

Helena nodded. She still looked guilty and miserable. Myka kissed her.

"We'll figure it out," she murmured, and Helena relaxed against her. "We'll figure it out."

She sent Pete a text to say she was staying there that night, and after ordering in some food and making sure Helena had enough Tru Blood, they went to bed. She was woken at 5am by a phone call from Leena.

"Sheriff. There's been a fire. Some vampires – they made some noise last night at the local bar, and after everything that has happened with the kids… some of the locals didn't like it. They followed them to where they were sleeping, Myka. They burned them out. They're dead," Leena said, her voice sounding concerned. Myka wondered why, for a moment, before realising that Helena wasn't beside her.

"How many, Leena?"

"Three, we think," Leena said, her voice compassionate.

"Oh my God," Myka said, her hand going to her mouth. "Where?"

Leena gave her an address at the north edge of town. It was an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. Myka drove like a maniac, reaching the address within a few minutes. The volunteer fire department were there along with Pete, who saw her coming with a grimace.

"Myka," he said, stopping her before she could get any closer to the scene. "Don't look, Myka."

"Is she – was it her, Pete?" she managed.

"I don't know, Mykes. I went to the bar last night to tell them to leave – they were riling people up, laughing about the dead kids. Helena wasn't there. It was two other English vampires."

"But there's three bodies, Pete?"

She could see from his expression that whatever he was going to say next wasn't good. She dropped her shields, only to be overwhelmed by the negativity of the thoughts around her.

 _Fucking vampires. Serves them right. I woulda done it myself if I'd been there._

That was from the burly fireman/carpenter to her right.

 _They been killing our kids. They got theirs…_

That laughter-tinged thought was from a firefighter who worked on the local road crew. He was poking his buddy in the side joking about crispy grilled vampires.

 _We didn't find any bodies, how can I even tell her? That it was just ash? And some gross stuff?_

She saw the pictures in her head. She didn't need to see it for herself. She turned and threw up, a few feet from the remains. Pete led her back to her car. She drove back to work, her mind numb. Leena came in to see her after a few minutes.

"Sheriff?"

"Yes, Leena?" Myka replied, without looking up. She was surprised when her chin was gripped firmly and her head tilted up to meet Leena's grey-green eyes.

"Sheriff. I know you're thinking the worst right now. Hell, we all are. But I think I might be able to help. You have a partly-established blood bond with Helena. I think that if she was dead, you would know."

"How do you… never mind," Myka said, cutting herself off. She didn't want to know how Leena knew the things she did.

"If you concentrate, Myka, it's possible that you might sense her. Do you want to try?" Leena asked, her voice quiet.

"I… yeah. I guess. It can't hurt, right?" Myka said.

"Exactly. Now. Take my hands."

Myka did as she was told.

"Close your eyes, and think about Helena. How do you feel when she's around? What does she feel like when she's nearby? I know that you can feel her mind, when she's near. Just try to think about it. She's asleep, somewhere quiet. You can feel it. You can find her," Leena said, her voice taking on a hypnotic quality. Myka concentrated, remembering how Helena smelled, how she looked, how her presence calmed Myka. She suddenly felt coolness surrounding her, and the smell of damp earth was filling her nostrils. She was suddenly lethargic, the brightness of the sun, the heat of it, sucking the life from her. She couldn't wake. She began to slump forward on her desk.

"Myka," Leena said, quietly, shaking her shoulder gently. Myka took a deep breath, looking around her in surprise. She had been resting somewhere quiet, cool, damp.

"What did you feel, Myka?" Leena asked, looking at her intently.

"I felt cool. Like I was somewhere away from the sun, somewhere damp. I could smell earth, and I was tired. Then I fell asleep," Myka said, her puzzlement evident.

"You found her, Myka. She's safe."

"Do you think that's what I was sensing, Leena?" Myka said doubtfully.

"Myka, I'm sure of it. If I thought for a moment that it wasn't her, Myka, I wouldn't give you false hope. I promise you. It was your link with her. Wherever she is, she's safe, resting away from the sun. Whoever that was with those vamps, it wasn't her."

Myka looked at her for a long moment, and Leena held her eyes. She trusted Leena, of course she did. You couldn't _not_ trust Leena. She let it sink in. Helena was safe. Helena was sleeping, and she'd see her at nightfall.

"Thank you, Leena. I… thank you."

"Sure thing, Sheriff," Leena said, getting up suddenly and smiling. "I'm gonna get you some coffee and breakfast."

"Thanks," Myka said, her eyes filling. Thankfully, Leena had turned around and couldn't see her tears. Myka wiped her tears away and smiled. Helena was fine.

Before sundown, Tracy and Pete sat with her on the porch swing. She had told them about Leena, about what she'd said, but she could tell that neither of them really believed her. They thought it was wishful thinking, that she was just trying to will Helena to be okay. That wasn't what this was; she believed that Helena was fine. But there was still, always, a tiny bit of doubt. Because this was becoming… the norm. Horrifying things were happening so often that they were just running together in her mind. She didn't have time to react to one before the next one was upon her. What if Helena really was dead, and she was just kidding herself? She would have to move on. Make a plan. Deal with the rogue vampires in her town and make it safer for everyone. Help David to deal with his abilities. Help Tracy to transition into the half-were she was going to be from now on. Focusing on those things helped her. There was no point in trying to deal with these crises, having counselling with Dr Cho or whatever, if they just kept on fucking happening, was there? She might as well just stagger from disaster to disaster and take things as they come.

It was when she was thinking about disaster that she felt a whisper. She didn't look up. She wasn't sure it was Helena; she couldn't be sure until she saw her. She waited until Pete exhaled beside her and Tracy's arm tightened around her, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"Myka? What's the matter, love?" Helena asked, kneeling in front of her on the porch. She looked up, met Helena's eyes, and took a deep breath. She couldn't speak, so she just looked at the vampire, the woman that she loved.

"Some vampires were burned out last night, Helena," Pete said. "Three of them. Myka said two of them were at your house last night, and there were three bodies. Or remains. Whatever. We thought you were dead," Pete explained.

"Charlotte and Bennett? They were killed? And… it must have been Nicholas, their son, who died with them. How did this happen?" Helena asked, directing her question at Pete, but stroking Myka's face gently to soothe her.

"They went to the local bar and made some remarks about the kids that have been murdered. They made a joke out of it. Some people took exception to it."

"Yes, I'd imagine they would have," Helena said, her face bleak. "They brought it on themselves. The American Vampire League will likely step in if the King tries to make an issue of it; they won't want the bad press."

"The what with the who now?" Pete asked, his brow furrowed.

"Never mind," Myka said. "They got themselves killed. If I find out who was involved, I'll prosecute them. But make sure and tell anyone who asks, Pete. Helena is here to help, and if any other vampires come round making jokes, then they call the Sheriff's office. They don't call up a posse and take it into their own hands. Okay?"

"Of course," he said, nodding seriously. He left shortly afterwards. It was his shift. He'd probably been there all night, then covered her during the day, and now he was heading back to work. She would have felt bad, normally, but she was still numb from everything that had happened.

"Are you all right, Myka?" Helena asked softly.

"I'm fine, Helena. I knew you were okay. Leena helped me to sense you. She says we have a partial bond because of the blood thing." Myka said.

"I know, love," Helena said. "I felt you, while I slept."

"You did?" Myka asked, surprised.

"I did," Helena said, smiling. "I'm glad you can sense me. Even if it is because I had to give you my blood. I will, however, give you a list of my sleeping places, so that you have no cause for worry, should anything happen in future. It is not fair on you, to worry."

"You're right, it's not," Tracy said, suddenly. "She spent all day waiting for you to wake up, wondering if you were even alive to wake up. I don't know her very well, Helena, but she's a good person. You should trust her."

"I do," Helena said, looking at Tracy solemnly. "I will share it with her. I promise. This will not happen again."

"Thank you," Myka said quietly. Helena carried her inside, wrapping her up in a soft blanket before making her some soup. It reminded Myka of another night, a night that felt like aeons ago. The night when they'd slept together for the first time. Tracy sat on the other sofa, watching them quietly.

"She cares about you," she said quietly.

"Yeah," Myka said. "She said she loves me. Last night. And then… I thought she was dead."

"I'm sorry, Myka. At least now you'll know where to look, at least. If something happens again."

"Yeah," Myka said again.

"Is your life always like this?" Tracy asked.

"Lately? Yeah. I feel like I've been stumbling from one disaster to another," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Like me getting bitten?" Tracy asked.

"Yes. Like you getting bitten. I honestly never thought I'd see you again, and when I do, it's because someone bit you and turned you into a half-were. That's kind of how my life has been recently."

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with all this, Myka. That woman, the one who did all this to you? I don't know what the hell was wrong with her, but you didn't deserve any of it. And you don't deserve the blame for what happened to me. You might have changed my life for the better, Myka. Even with all this were business. Finding out David has this ability, and that your friend Artie will help – it's been a little crazy, but what the hell would I have done if I found out when I was with Kevin, and with Dad around? He probably would have pressured me to give David up, the way he did to you. You saved me from that, Myka. So don't blame yourself, okay?" she said, kneeling in front of Myka for a moment, squeezing her leg.

"Thanks, Trace," Myka said, feeling confused and grateful. Helena returned just then, and Tracy smiled and went upstairs.

"She seems nice," Helena said.

"She is," Myka said. "She was a little timid at first, but she's – she's surprised me. She was kind of amazing, about the whole were thing. I thought she'd be going crazy. I mean, because of me, she basically gets a communicable disease where she's going to have to hide out, at least for a couple of days a month. And now this thing with David, too? She's taking it all in her stride. I think I would have been furious, in her position."

"I think you would have been just as gracious, Myka," Helena said, urging Myka to eat the hot soup. "You would have realised, as she has, that the fault did not lie with her. None of this was your fault, my love."

"Thank you for saying that. I'm not so sure," Myka said, smiling a little as she blew on the hot liquid. It was soup from a can, but it was still soup. Helena was a terrifying monster from a story, but when she thought Myka was sad, she made soup. It was adorable.

Helena wrapped Myka up in her arms, and Myka finished her soup. It was quiet. Her shields were working well; the other minds in the house weren't bothering her. She was in silence, she was safe, and Helena loved her. She took the moment for what it was; a moment of calm in the middle of the turmoil that had been her life for the last while. It was something beautiful to hold on to, and she determined to do just that. She didn't know what the future held. They had to get David's ability under control, and get Tracy through her first full moon, her first transition. And then? She had to figure out how to catch two insane vampires without getting anyone else in her town killed.

Helena stayed at the house with her that night, wrapping Myka up in her arms. They spoke little, and each time Myka woke, Helena was still there, right until dawn. She left a note in the breast pocket of Myka's uniform shirt.

 _My love_

 _Should you need me. Today, I rest in my home. In my bedroom, lift the telephone receiver off the base. Turn the bedroom light off. Dial 6952 and press 'enter' on the phone. Should you need to find me, enter through the door that appears and close it behind you. You will need a torch. The trapdoor is in the floor, under the rug._

 _The room is made from metal, sealed from oxygen. Therefore, no fire can reach me. You need not concern yourself with any attempts._

 _At the risk of sounding like a cheap spy novel, please destroy this note immediately. I know my secret is safe with you. I cannot be so sure of others._

 _Until tonight_

 _Helena_

Myka took the note into her bathroom, ran it under water until the ink was illegible. Then she ripped it into pieces and flushed it. Helena's secret hidey-hole would not become common knowledge because of her.


	17. Chapter 17

_Well. It's been a while, hasn't it? It turns out that when you want to upload your writing to the internet, it helps if your broadband service actually works. Apparently we have a bad case of REIN. Some sort of interference. Who knew that would make it well nigh impossible for a person to use the internet? Not me. Anyway, without further ado, here is the latest, and long overdue, instalment of Death, or something like it. Tracy is due for a change, and Mr Valda pops up again._

* * *

Work was quiet, mercifully. Her day was punctuated by concerned visits from various staff members – Claudia, Leena, Steve – even Pete. Pete wasn't even on duty.

"So, boss. How you doing, after everything with the vamps?" he asked, before cramming his face with the donuts that Leena had delivered only a few minutes before.

"I'm okay, Pete," she said. "I was scared, you know? I was so scared that I would lose her. But she's fine. And so am I," she said, shrugging.

"And what about Tracy and the little dude? You okay with them being in your place?"

"Yes. I owe them. But I'm glad it's _after_ I learned how to use my ability, and to shield. Because otherwise I'd be going crazy right about now," Myka said wryly.

"Yeah, I guess," Pete agreed, through a mouthful of his second donut. There was cream filling oozing from the edge of his mouth. Myka watched it in disgusted fascination. It was on the brink of falling to her desk. It was like driving past the scene of a car crash – she couldn't look away, but she was disgusted. She gave the blob of cream a 50/50 chance of hitting the pile of paperwork in front of Pete. He was oblivious to her fascination.

"So, you and Amanda," she said, and his head snapped up. The cream hit the top sheet of the paperwork with a wet splat. She opened the top desk drawer and got out some paper napkins and wiped up the cream as Pete gaped at her.

"What about me and Amanda?" he asked, after a moment. She kept her shields up resolutely. She wasn't sure how she was planning to deal with her ability now that it was useful – but she definitely didn't want to use it to take information about personal matters from her friends' minds.

"I mean – I'm not exactly the best at reading body language, but I can read enough to know that you're both interested in each other," Myka said, with a half-smile.

"You think she's interested in me?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"I am pretty sure, yeah," she said, taking a donut and pulling a piece off before eating the soft, sugary dough.

"Awesome," he said, with a wide smile.

"What happened to Kelly?" Myka asked.

Pete shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"She… I don't think she liked how close we were. You and me, I mean. I told her that there was nothing between us. But she wouldn't believe it. I couldn't tell her that Mrs Frederic told me to protect you, so she just thought I was in love with you," he said, shrugging. He had managed to eat another donut during that last sentence.

"I… I didn't realise, Pete. I'm sorry," she said, honestly.

"It's okay. If she's the kind of girl who gets that jealous, and doesn't trust me, I don't need that in my life. I can't stand people who think that men and women can't be friends without sex being an issue," he said, shrugging again.

"Well. I can't argue with that. I'm still sorry, though, Pete. I had no idea that she thought that. I would have told her. Didn't you tell her about me and Helena?" she asked.

"Yeah. But she still believed that I had feelings for you. I told her of course I had feelings for you, I care about you. But I'm not in love with you. She still wouldn't believe me. So screw that. Plenty more fish wanting some of this," he said, running his hands down his torso in the most nauseating fashion. She laughed.

When her shift was finished, Myka went to pick up Tracy and David. She brought them to Artie's office. He had a new assistant, Deb. Deb was chatty and clever and not at all like Sally. She was also entirely human. Myka listened to her thoughts for a few minutes, to make sure that she wasn't another of Sally's friends or family, trying to get at her through Arthur Nielsen. Deb was sincere, happy, and smart, and her words and thoughts were almost identical. The only things she didn't say out loud were things she considered unkind. Like her observation that Myka looked "like shit". And she also didn't ask what was wrong with Tracy's arm, although she was obviously curious.

Myka relaxed, letting her mind drift while Artie helped David to set up shields. It would take longer for the kid, he'd explained to Myka and Tracy before shooing them out, because kids didn't have the concentration to keep them up for long periods of time.

"So, it's gonna happen tomorrow," Tracy said, her fingers tapping against the back cover of her cellphone, which was clutched in both hands.

"Huh?" Myka asked, having drifted almost into sleep.

"I might change, tomorrow. It's almost full moon," she said.

"Yeah," Myka said, nodding. "Are you doing okay?" she asked, suddenly wide awake.

"I am," Tracy said. "I mean, I'm nervous. But Amanda and Pete will be there, and they're going to take me to the other werepanthers before I change, so they can teach me about hunting and all that."

"Is it just me, or are you a little excited about this?" Myka asked, quirking an eyebrow at her sister.

"Maybe a little," Tracy said.

Myka smiled.

"Is it okay if I think you're a little crazy? Some days I would love to get rid of all this complication, you know? Just have a normal, quiet life?" Myka said.

"You can think that, Myka," Tracy said with a smile. "The grass is always greener, right? So far in my life the only excitement I had was David – the rest of my life has been just so boring. I wanted things to be a little more exciting. I guess I got my wish," she said with a slightly rueful grin.

David emerged with a smiling Arthur Nielsen after an hour or so. The smile looked strange on the rumpled, bearded man's face.

"He's a smart kid, your son," Artie said, and Tracy beamed.

"He sure is," she said, pulling David in for a hug and messing up his hair. He protested loudly at that, and Myka and Tracy laughed.

"Come back next week, same time, and we'll do some more exercises, David," Artie said, addressing both Tracy and David. Tracy nodded, and David smiled up at Artie.

 _Thanks, Uncle Artie_

 _You're welcome, kid_

Artie ruffled David's hair fondly, and Myka smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all.

They spent a quiet afternoon together, Amanda and Pete present as always, playing Monopoly and Scrabble. To Myka's surprise, when Helena arrived after sundown, she joined them for Scrabble, and she won the game, trouncing them all. Tracy and David went to bed early, and Myka and Helena departed for Helena's house soon after, leaving Amanda and Pete to watch over Myka's family. Amanda had more or less insisted that she would stay, watching over Tracy and David, until the threat of MacPherson and Christina was done with. She owed Tracy that much, she said.

"I can't believe you beat me at Scrabble," Myka said, smiling, as she pulled her squad car into a space in front of Helena's house.

"Well, I have had a few more years to extend my vocabulary," Helena said dryly.

They sat together in peace and quiet, Myka's head in Helena's lap, as they watched television. Helena found Buffy the Vampire Slayer hilarious, and they were slowly working their way through the boxed sets. Myka was spending her time watching Helena's facial expressions as she reacted to the witty dialogue and ridiculous vampires.

"They turn to _dust_ , Myka! Dust! Can you imagine?!" Helena said, chuckling, and Myka smiled. It was odd to see her vampire smile at all, let alone laugh. But then, Helena hadn't had too many reasons to smile, so far as she knew. Christina's madness had been a thorn in her side for most of her life.

They made love that night fondly, sweetly, without any urgency, or any biting, for that matter. They had not spoken specifically about the fairy blood issue, not since Helena's declaration of love. But it was a different experience without the bite; more intimate and less, at the same time. Myka, as usual, gave in to sleep while Helena watched over her. The next morning, there was a note on the nightstand.

 _My love_

 _I enjoyed watching you sleep. You twitch in the most adorable fashion when you dream. I sleep today underground, in a cave nearby the river at the west edge of town. Should you need to find me, there is a lightning-struck oak on the west bank of the river just near the jetty, behind which hides a small crack in the rocks. There is just enough room for a person to pass, moving sideways, after which the rock opens. Follow the passage to the end. I sleep under a huge flat rock, which a human could not move alone. Under it there is a small space in which I sleep._

 _I wish I could see you holding your face to the sun, my love. I regret much of what has happened in my long life, but missing the sun has not been part of that, until now. The sight of your eyes, lit up by the star of the day – that, I would cherish forever._

 _Until tonight_

 _Helena_

Myka's eyes filled. Helena was a fascinating person, a creature of darkness, if the lore was to be believed. But at heart, she was a romantic. And a writer. In fact HG Wells, the writer, was named for her. In honour of the daughter of the Wells' who had disappeared tragically in the new colony of the Americas. She was a second or third cousin; she couldn't remember which. The woman was a mass of contradictions. Evil and good and dark and light and sweet and deadly and everything in between. Myka wasn't sure if she would ever truly know the vampire. She shook her head and went to shower, mentally bracing herself for the day to come. There wasn't anything pressing happening at work, but tonight was the night, for Tracy. She would become whatever she was going to become – Myka was still a little hazy on what her sister would actually be, when she changed. Not a panther, not a human, but something between the two.

The day was long and sweaty, the air-conditioning at the Sheriff's office having died with a mass of crackling and sparks the day before. Claudia had tried and failed to repair it, despite her genius for engineering. Myka made several calls to the local engineer, but he had his hands full with other malfunctioning units and wouldn't be able to get to it until the next weekend at the earliest.

"It's the humidity, Sheriff. Send 'em all out of whack, 'specially at this time of year. Sorry, ma'am."

She cursed the man under her breath. Ma'am, again. It was almost as annoying as the fact that the air conditioning was going to be out of commission for at least another week. She wondered idly if Mrs Frederic would approve a new unit, on the basis that Myka was likely to murder someone herself in this heat. A droplet of sweat made its way down her forehead and dripped into her eye, stinging like a mother. She cursed again, quietly, grabbing a small towel from her gym bag and wiping her face and the back of her neck.

"Sheriff?" Leena's voice was hesitant, as if she sensed Myka's annoyance.

"Yeah?" Myka looked up wearily, wondering how ridiculous, exactly, her hair looked right now. She should have done something to get it out of her face that morning, but she was already so hot right after getting out of Helena's shower…

"Sheriff, Mr Valda is here to see you," Leena said, breaking into her thoughts. "Have you got time to see him?"

Myka immediately sat up straighter. The local packleader was a decent man, and commanded respect. She nodded for Leena to send him in, and after a moment the man appeared, looking cool and refreshed in a black suit and a white shirt open at the throat.

"Good morning, Sheriff," he said, sitting in the chair opposite.

"Mr Valda. What can I do for you today?" she asked. A moment later Leena arrived with some sort of iced coffee drink for Myka and a black coffee for Mr Valda. Myka took a sip in relief at some respite from the unrelenting heat.

"It's actually the other way around, or so I hope, Sheriff. Your sister is here, I understand – the woman who was attacked by Amanda Martin?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, she is," Myka replied, a little puzzled.

Mr Valda nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I would like to assist her as much as possible with her transition," he said smoothly, "and to that end, I would like to arrange for the pack to congregate in the woods behind your home this evening. That way, when your sister changes, she will be with her own kind, her new pack. It is something we do for weres once they come of age and make their first transition. We don't normally deal with half-weres, but in this particular case, I and the pack agreed that your sister should be a part of our group, since it was one of us who made her. Does that sound acceptable to you?"

Myka nodded. She couldn't see any reason why not, and it made sense, if Tracy was to become part of this pack, for her first change to be with them.

"Very well, Sheriff. In that case, I will see you this evening," Valda said, standing and offering her a small bow before leaving as quickly as he had appeared. Only the slightly steaming (and empty) coffee cup proved that he'd been there at all. Myka took a breath and then lifted the receiver on her phone, dialling in the familiar digits of her home number.

"Hey, Myka, what's up?" Tracy asked, a smile evident in her voice.

"Hey Trace, I just saw the local packleader. He wants to come by later with the pack, to make you welcome and to be there for your first change. I hope that's okay. I think it's a gesture of respect or something, and I thought that if I refused him it would be rude," Myka said, all in one breath. She still felt extremely guilty about this situation; about Tracy's involvement. She hadn't asked to be part of Myka's fucked-up life.

"Sure, Mykes. Sounds good. I guess it'll help to have more weres around, to keep me in line if I go all crazy or something," Tracy said, with a small laugh.

"I'm sure it will all go fine," Myka said soothingly. "Just because you're gonna be a half-were doesn't mean you'll go crazy. Or crazier, I guess," she injected, trying for a little humour.

"Yeah, says the crazy lady who hears the voices," Tracy said, mockingly. She snorted out a laugh and Myka, surprised, did the same. They giggled for a moment before Myka said she should get back to work, and she hung up with a smile on her face. She hadn't anticipated ever having her "real" family around her, but it was turning out to be a more pleasant experience than she thought. Tracy was a genuinely nice person, and having a sister was kind of cool. She wiped her forehead again absently with a towel before starting on a stack of personnel reports that needed to be finished for Mrs Frederic's office, the smile on her face lingering for a long time after.

That evening, dinner was a quiet affair. Myka didn't need to listen to Amanda's thoughts to hear how guilty she felt about turning Tracy; it was clear in her every movement. David, however, was almost leaping around in excitement, chattering to his mom about her change, about what she would look like once she changed over. Tracy was smiling back wolfishly as she ate her tuna casserole, and Myka didn't need to listen to _her_ thoughts to know that she was almost as excited as David. Pete was there, stoic and concerned for Amanda. Myka thought about saying something to Amanda, to try to make her feel better, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Tracy would deal with it if Amanda overburdened herself with guilt; Myka was sure of that.

After dinner, they sat in various positions around Myka's living room. Amanda was gnawing on her nails, leaning forward on the smaller couch, her eyes far away. Tracy was watching whatever was on, with apparently avid interest, and David was beginning to doze off in her lap. Pete was lounging on the floor and Myka was curled up in the room's one armchair with her feet underneath her. The wait until sundown was quiet and tension-filled, but finally the sun set, and they made their way silently to the back yard. Myka sat on the porch swing with David next to her, and a minute or so later Helena arrived, blurring silently into the silent tableau of Amanda, Pete and Tracy standing next to one another, waiting for the pack's arrival (and Tracy's change).

Helena kissed Myka's hand, bowing slightly, before sitting down next to David. She seemed surprised when the boy leaned against her slightly, his head on her leather-covered shoulder. Her eyes widened and a slight smile tickled at the edge of her mouth. Myka could have watched them forever, but at that same moment, a rustling began in the trees, and a group of 30 or so people appeared, Benedict Valda at the front.

"Good evening, Sheriff," he said, bowing slightly from the edge of the trees. She nodded back, and Valda turned his attention to Tracy.

"Welcome, Ms Bering, to our pack. I am Benedict Valda, the pack leader, and I declare you part of our pack, under my personal protection. I am sorry for the insult and the injury that was done to you, but I hope that now you will make this pack your home. It will be only a moment, I believe, before your change overcomes you. Do not fight it. Welcome it, and do not be afraid. You are one of us, now," he said, his eyes warm, and Tracy smiled at him nervously.

There was an air of expectance, now, in the small back yard, the group of people tense and excited. Eyes were shining and teeth slightly bared in smiles that were close to snarls. Suddenly Tracy bent over, a soft noise of surprise exiting her lips.

"It's happening," Amanda murmured to her. "You should strip now. We can cover you up, if you want."

Tracy shook her head, indicating that it didn't matter, and she pulled off her clothes. She'd only put on shorts and a tank earlier that evening, ready to abandon them when the change came. She bent over again as if she'd been punched in the stomach, and it was then that her outline turned liquid, the way Pete's had that night weeks ago. A noise escaped her that was halfway between a howl and a scream. Myka tensed, worried that something was wrong. Tracy's body didn't change shape, or at least not exactly. Her face elongated a little, the jaw shaping into something not quite cat but not quite human, and her white skin became jet-black in an instant as sleek black fur covered it. There were soft noises of approval from the pack as she straightened up. David was on his feet, avidly staring at the change in his mother, his face bright with excitement. Myka found that she, too, was on her feet, watching the change in fascination. Tracy was beautiful, her eyes gone from greenish-hazel to bright green, and her face and body covered in the sleek fur of a panther. She looked like a mixture of human and big cat, her hands partially transformed into retracting claws, her jaw longer and her teeth sharp. She was beautiful and terrifying. She looked as if she could rip a human in half.

"She is something, is she not?" Helena murmured to Myka, and Myka nodded without turning, her mouth slightly open.

"Welcome, Tracy," Mr Valda said again, and the pack echoed him, first in words and then with a cheer that became a howl as they allowed their changes to overtake them. Myka had to put her hands over David's eyes as the group of men and women shucked their clothes without any trace of shame or worry at their nakedness. Helena chuckled softly behind her.

Myka noticed a small woman with dark hair and a slightly dark complexion that indicated that she was a mix of races – Iraqi or Persian, Myka thought – who was staring at Tracy, her eyes wide with admiration at the transformation. It was a little odd, Myka mused, since half-weres weren't exactly accepted by the were community. But the woman was transfixed, at least until she, too, began to change, and then Myka turned her head to avoid seeing yet another naked body. There was probably a limit on how many naked people a person should see in a day, and she'd passed hers a ways back.

"You are more conservative than I would have thought, my love," Helena murmured in her ear as the pack began to disappear into the trees, wolves and panthers and bears and was that a tiger? They melted away into the darkness and Myka let out a breath, watching Tracy run off on all fours, a strange, loping sort of run. She was flanked by a larger werepanther – Amanda – and a massive bull mastiff, Pete's chosen form for the evening. It would be hard for him to keep up with the pack in his usual dog form given that they were mostly large wolves and dogs.

"She will be fine," Helena reassured her, and Myka turned and smiled.

"Hey," she said, feeling instantly better as Helena smiled back at her. Her poetic declaration of the morning came back to Myka, and her smile widened. "So, the sun, huh?"

Helena nodded, her smile a little shy.

"I would like that too," Myka said. "Maybe someday. You never know, in this town."

Helena nodded, and then looked down as David tugged on her sleeve.

"Hey, Mrs Vampire," he said, making Myka chuckle. "Why can't I hear you thinking?" he asked earnestly, looking up at her with wide, adorable eyes. Helena swallowed nervously.

"I do not know, David," she said, solemnly, and he nodded sadly.

"That's okay. Can I call you Aunt Helena?" he said, guilelessly, and Helena looked helplessly from him to Myka. Myka just shrugged, and Helena looked down at the kid before nodding. "You may call me Aunt Helena, if that is what you wish," she said. He smiled widely and then dragged her towards the house, chattering about some television show that he wanted to watch. Helena looked over her shoulder as she allowed herself to be dragged along, her eyes wide and pleading Myka to help her. Myka laughed out loud, that time, as she watched her terrifying creature of the night being thwarted by a five-year-old and his freely offered affection.


	18. Chapter 18

_Myka and Helena spend a night at Myka's, and Tracy returns after her first night as a half-were. Slightly NSFW_

* * *

They spent a quiet but pleasant night with David, watching age-appropriate television. He eventually snuggled into Myka's arms, his feet on Helena's lap, and at that point it was decided that he should go to bed. Myka smiled as Helena lifted him effortlessly, and they tucked him in together, the sweet domesticity of the scene making Myka smile widely.

"You're an enigma, Helena Wells," she murmured when they were downstairs, Myka's head in Helena's lap, the vampire's cool fingers soothing her scalp.

"What do you mean?" Helena asked, tilting her head in puzzlement.

"You claim to be this terrifying monster but a cute little boy melts your heart. You're a fraud," she said, and Helena's eyes narrowed.

"A fraud, am I?" she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Would you like me to prove how dangerous I can be, Myka Bering?" she growled. Myka shivered, her eyes widening and Helena's hand tightened in her hair, pulling at the roots a lot harder than was comfortable. She swallowed as Helena's eyes grew black and her fangs extended. Helena lifted Myka easily to her feet, pushing her against a convenient section of wall and pulling her arms up above her head.

"Are you frightened, yet?" Helena asked, her fangs brushing Myka's earlobe. Myka shook her head, but her heart was hammering, and while it wasn't exactly through fear, she wasn't exactly comfortable, either. She was, however, entirely thrilled, her whole body thrumming with excitement. Helena's fangs penetrated her earlobe a little, a needle-like nip, and the vampire sucked lightly at the resultant beads of blood.

"Are you quite sure about that, Sheriff?" she asked, her body pushing against Myka's. With one hand she had Myka's hands quite trapped above her head, and she was pulling Myka slightly off her feet. Which didn't entirely make sense, since Myka was the taller woman. She looked down and noted with a gulp that Helena's feet weren't on the ground.

"I told you I could fly," she said smugly, her free hand roaming Myka's body, nails digging in to Myka's flesh in a way that was just this close to pain. It was thrilling, and Myka wanted to beg Helena to take her, to tear her clothes away and finish what she was threatening to do, to make good on her teasing, but her pride wouldn't let her. She swallowed again and Helena grasped the collar of her t-shirt, ripping it away with one hand – and Myka's bra with it.

"You owe me a new shirt," Myka said, her heart thumping, and Helena laughed richly. Her fangs were trailing across Myka's chest, perilously close to nipples and other sensitive parts, and Myka took in a sharp breath as the tip of a fang stung her breast.

Myka hadn't thought it possible for anyone or anything to rip a pair of denim jeans into pieces with only one hand, but Helena, it appeared, did not share her view. Myka's jeans disappeared almost as quickly as her t-shirt as Helena kissed her, nipping at her lips with those fangs she employed so well in teasing Myka. With no jeans in the way, Helena ripped off Myka's underwear with her teeth, and from there Myka had to grab a cushion from the couch, which she used to bite on to avoid waking her nephew and educating him rather graphically on the ways in which vampires could pleasure humans. She hoped the boy wouldn't accidentally tune into her thoughts, because she was quite incapable of shielding her thoughts just then, or indeed for some time afterwards. She was, however, quite thoroughly embarrassed and praying to whatever gods existed that David's shields were working as he slept.

As usual, when she awoke, she was alone – in her own bed, with a short note beside the bed stating simply that Helena slept in her home, should Myka need to find her. It was past dawn, and David would be awake soon. Not to mention that his mother was out there somewhere with her fellow weres, waking up from her first night of the full moon.

Myka got up, a little bleary-eyed from her adventures of the night before. She hoped fervently that Artie had shielded David sufficiently. She felt a slight burn of shame that she'd given in to what she wanted with Helena the night before despite the boy being in the house. She showered, turning the heat down so it was almost icy cold. The morning was blazing hot already, and she felt a little like she was suffocating from the humidity. She dreaded what it would be like by midday. She made a mental note to ask Helena about the air conditioning unit at the station. Helena had studied engineering in a city somewhere in the late 90s; she wouldn't say where. Said it wasn't important. But she'd been inventing small devices since, and she had repaired some of the electrical circuitry in her new house herself, rather than call an electrician. She might have the knowledge needed to repair the unit.

When she got out of the shower, she reluctantly turned on the air conditioning in the house. It was old and noisy but it worked. She didn't like to use it because it was expensive, but today felt like it was going to be a real scorcher and she didn't want David or Tracy to get ill from heatstroke.

She went downstairs and made some coffee, and wasn't surprised to find that David came downstairs shortly after. The smell of coffee had some sort of magic to it; she thought it might even wake Helena from her daytime sleep.

She sat in the living room with a drowsy David, watching cartoons, and realised that this was the quietest that this little house had been for days. It had been full of people for the last few days; either Amanda or Pete was nearly always here, and Tracy and David were here almost the whole time too, bar their visit to see Artie. It was nice to think that this might become a home for her family. Hell, it was nice to think about a family at all. It had been such a long time since she'd felt that sense of instant belonging that family gave. Of course she didn't include her father, there. He'd only ever made her feel like an outsider.

David gave a particularly loud slurp at his cereal and Myka looked at him fondly. He was cute, with his Spider-Man pyjamas and his tiny feet. She'd never really thought a lot about kids in the past, but he was making her think about it again. Not that she would be likely to get pregnant with her undead girlfriend, she thought ruefully.

She and David spent a pleasant morning half-drowsing on the sofa watching cartoons in their pyjamas. It was almost midday when Tracy, Amanda and Pete returned, with the short woman Myka had noticed the night before in tow. They had stopped at Ted's diner and had huge packages of food and coffee in their arms. Myka directed them to the table, with a slightly raised eyebrow for Tracy, who tapped her head, once, while meeting Myka's eyes meaningfully. Myka's eyes widened. Tracy wanted Myka to read her mind? Tracy nodded, and Myka took a deep breath, dropping her shields and taking a good look in Tracy's mind while her hands were busy unwrapping parcels of food.

 _She's called Sameen. She's another panther. She's here because… well. I woke up with her this morning, in the woods way South of here. We all hunted together last night…_

Myka had sudden mental images of the woods nearby and a tall, strong buck running away from the pack. There was a taste of metal in her mouth, and she was loping along beside a small-ish panther who was eyeing her appreciatively. The rest of Tracy's thoughts were more like impressions – blood in her mouth, the taste of warm liver, gifted to her by the packleader, a great sign of respect. The hunt, and then the rut.

 _I woke up with her in my arms, and we were both covered in bruises and cuts. Apparently it got a little… rough._

Tracy's mental voice was tinged with amusement. Myka smiled. It seemed like some things ran in the family. This would make for an awkward family reunion, if their dad ever decided to show his face.

 _I like her. We haven't spoken much, not in speech anyway. It's… different, when you're out there, on the hunt. You can talk to each other without words. She's amazing. Please be nice to her?_

Myka frowned in disbelief at that last. Why wouldn't she be nice? Tracy had been amazing, given the level of unconventional Myka's relationship represented. She looked at Tracy and smiled reassuringly. There was no way she would have been rude to Sameen even if, for some reason, she didn't approve. Unless Sameen was some sort of psychopath.

After introductions, they had a quiet lunch, with all of the weres eating impressive amounts of food – Sameen, in particular, seemed to have an extremely full mouth every time Myka looked at her. She didn't do eye contact particularly well, something which Myka took note of, because it could be a sign of dishonesty. She wondered about the ethics of reading her sister's sort-of girlfriend's mind. It probably wasn't okay, she reasoned. Not unless she had a reason to test the woman's veracity. David was fascinated by Sameen, and kept looking at her, wide-eyed. Myka decided to take him out to the porch for a moment, just to check he wasn't reading the were's mind.

"David, honey. Have you been reading Sameen's mind?" she asked. He blushed a little. She found it hard to keep a straight face.

"You know you shouldn't do that, unless you know that people are okay with it, right? That's what Artie has been teaching you?" she said gently. He nodded.

"I couldn't help it, Aunt Myka. She was thinking about fighting, and she was loud and I tried not to look but it was so cool! She kicked this guy in the knee and it like bent to the side, and it was like in an action movie! She's like…" he lowered his voice, "a badass!"

Myka smothered a laugh, coughing instead.

"Okay, David. I know you didn't do it on purpose. But try not to look again, okay? People should be able to have their private thoughts, and we should only listen if we have permission or if we have to."

"Okay, Aunt Myka," he said gravely, his little face looking so cute that she had the sudden urge to smoosh his cheeks. She wasn't aware that she had ever had the urge to smoosh anything in her life before, so it made her smile, both at him and at herself. Being an aunt was interesting, that was for sure.

When they went back in, the four weres were silent, not looking at each other, and Myka, with a sudden burst of insight, realised that whatever had happened between Sameen and Tracy last night had also happened between Amanda and Pete. She thought vaguely that she hoped they'd used protection, and then immediately had to smother a nervous, hysterical giggle. Did they… while they were in animal form? Was that some form of bestiality? And Pete was a dog, last night, while Amanda was a panther. How would they even…? She shut down that line of enquiry before her brain exploded. They were all adults; they would work it out themselves. People in glass houses, and all that.

Sameen stayed around for the remainder of the day, close to Tracy but barely speaking. Amanda stayed, too, in her self-imposed role as protector of Tracy and David. She, too, was quiet and almost sullen. When Tracy went to put David to bed later, Sameen trailing in her wake, Myka asked Amanda what had happened.

"Pete and I… we – you know. When we were… Anyway. He hasn't spoken to me since, and I feel like he just used me, you know?" Amanda burst out, her almond eyes wide and sad.

"Oh my god, Amanda. No. That is so not Pete," Myka said, smiling. "He wouldn't use you. He's not that kind of guy. He probably just doesn't know what to say."

"Do you really think that?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, absolutely. I don't know him that well – we only really got to know each other recently, when I found out about the were thing and all that, but he's such a good guy, Amanda. And I know he cares about you. I assume, without going into any detail that I really don't want, that this sort of thing is not entirely voluntary, when you're changed?" Myka asked, and Amanda nodded.

"Well, in that case, my guess is that he is embarrassed or worried about what happened, thinking that he took advantage of you. If you just talk to him, I think you'll feel better. Do you want me to call him?" Myka asked, and Amanda nodded mutely.

Myka went to the kitchen and made the call, asking Pete to come back to the house as soon as he could. He wasn't on duty but he did tend to stop in at the station on Saturdays to keep an eye on Steve, in case he needed any help. He agreed to come over, as long as he got dinner, so Myka ordered in some takeout, tripling her usual order given the size of the weres' appetites. When Pete arrived, she shoved him and Amanda out onto the porch, with the stern order to talk before they came back in, otherwise they would get no food. They both nodded solemnly, so she left them to it. When she went back inside, Tracy and Sameen were sitting next to each other on the couch, not quite touching.

"So, Sameen, what do you do for a living?" Myka asked, deciding it was time to try and have a conversation with the taciturn were.

"Security for Mr Valda," Sameen said shortly.

"You have a military background?" Myka asked, indicating Sameen's tattoos, which she didn't recognise, exactly, but they were similar enough to Pete's to make the connection.

"Yeah," Sameen said, and Myka nodded. Clearly, she wasn't going to get anything out of her sister's new friend. Girlfriend? She was spared the burden of further small talk by the arrival of Helena, fresh from her day's rest.

"Hello, my love," Helena said, bowing slightly and kissing Myka's hand, before turning to say hello to Tracy and introduce herself to Sameen, who looked at her wide-eyed.

"You killed Marcus," she blurted, and Helena nodded gravely.

"He was hurting Myka. I could not allow that," she said, and Sameen nodded, still wide-eyed.

"He was one of the most powerful wolves in the pack. And you just…?" She made a throat-cutting gesture, and Helena nodded.

"I drained him of blood. It was not difficult. I have lived for a long time. The older the vampire, the more powerful we become. He may have proved a match for a younger vampire, but not for me," Helena said, and Sameen nodded, clearly impressed. Myka smiled to herself. Her vampire was making more friends than enemies, these days. She loved it when others appreciated Helena.

They left shortly afterwards to spend the evening at Helena's home. Myka figured that David and Tracy were safe with three weres looking out for them – all ex-military, too. She and Helena spent an energetic night together that started in the kitchen and ended in the bedroom (via the bathtub). Helena held her as she fell asleep, her cool lips on Myka's brow, and as sleep pulled her under she could only think how content she was in that moment, with her new family near and the woman she loved holding her.


	19. Chapter 19

_An unexpected death leaves Myka contemplating what makes a monster._

* * *

Myka went back home that morning to find Sameen still there, sitting on the sofa with Tracy and David, and on the other sofa Amanda and Pete were asleep under a soft blanket, wrapped around each other. Myka raised an eyebrow, and Tracy held a finger to her lips before padding out to the kitchen, pulling Myka along in her wake.

"They were up most of the night talking. I didn't want to wake them, so we've been sitting quietly watching cartoons. I don't know who likes them better – Sam or David," she said, fondly, her lips curling into a half-smile.

"Okay," Myka said, nodding. "Maybe they worked their shit out, finally."

Tracy shrugged. "Don't know what came of it, but they definitely talked."

"Cool. You guys okay?" Myka asked, and Tracy's mouth broke into a wide smile.

"Yeah. Everything is pretty great, actually. Sameen is… she doesn't talk much, I know, but she's a real sweetheart," Tracy said, smiling so widely that it looked like her face was going to split in half.

They made some breakfast, bacon and eggs and some sort of biscuit that Amanda put together from ingredients that Myka didn't even know she possessed. Amanda had woken at the first scent of food, and had looked at the amount critically before doubling it and adding the biscuits. Myka was relegated to coffee duty.

The next two days followed the same pattern – Myka and Helena looked after David during the evening while the weres went to do whatever it was that they did during the full moon. Myka didn't want to enquire too closely about what that was, and in what form everyone was in when they were doing… well, whatever. She turned her mind firmly away from the mental images she was giving herself, and concentrated on trying to beat Helena at Scrabble. David had been doing terribly well until Myka realised that he was reading her mind because she had, on reflex, let her shields relax when Helena arrived. She replaced them, willing them to be stronger than ever, and the little dude's face creased up in concentration and then a frown once he realised what she'd done. Then the words he came up with became a lot less complex, and eventually he gave up, turning to the television and playing some sort of video game that seemed to involve driving cars into walls. Or perhaps that was just his lack of co-ordination – the boy was really very young, something that she kept forgetting because of his manner. She wondered if she, too, had seemed that strange and grown-up to adults at that age.

The morning after the third night of the full moon, they were sharing a pleasant (if quiet) breakfast in the kitchen, Sameen, Amanda and Pete telling war stories, each trying to one-up the other, when Tracy's cell rang. It was Kevin. She went into the other room for some privacy. David was in the living room watching television.

"So he hit me in the kidney, and I was ready to throw up…" Sameen was saying, "I kicked him in the knee, kicked it out to one side, and that was it – tore up his cruciate ligament. Fucker never touched me again."

 _Aunt Myka something's wrong with mom…_

Myka got up so fast that her chair fell backwards. She went straight to the living room, just in time to catch Tracy, whose knees were giving out. She didn't even need to drop her shields to hear. Tracy's father – her father – was dead.

"What happened, Trace?" she asked, gently, pulling David to her as she supported Tracy.

"He… they don't know. They found him in the road. He was a drinker, especially the last couple of years. The injuries – they said they were so severe that he could have been hit by a Mack truck."

"I'm so sorry, Trace. And David. I'm sorry, kid. Your grandpa – he's gone," Myka said.

"I know, Aunt Myka," he said, sadly. "He told me."

"He what?" Myka asked, her brow furrowed.

"He told me that someone was hurting him. He couldn't see who it was. But he was scared, Aunt Myka. They moved so fast he couldn't see. Like Aunt Helena!" he said, saddened but not particularly concerned, it appeared.

"How do you know this, David?"

"I heard him last night, Aunt Myka. When I was sleeping. I thought it was a dream," he said, shrugging.

Tracy was crying, but it seemed like it was mostly through shock rather than through any particular love for her father. Myka's mind, however, was racing. Her father happens to get killed by an unseen assailant a week after he threatened her life. An unseen assailant who might very well have been a vampire. The fact that David had heard his grandfather's last thoughts was a problem for another day, but Warren's death was not a coincidence. Myka was very much afraid that Helena was behind this. And she was afraid of what that meant for her, for them. She knew that Helena wasn't human; that she didn't think like a human. It wasn't like Helena hadn't warned her. But she'd never expected anything like this.

The rest of the day was spent making travel arrangements for Tracy, David and Sameen to fly to Colorado to arrange the funeral. Myka didn't have any interest in attending, and Sameen had offered to go before Myka could make what was going to be a very half-hearted offer to accompany Tracy, for support. She was surprised at the small woman's commitment to Tracy. It seemed a little too much, too soon. But it wasn't her relationship, and she wasn't going to interfere. She had her own relationship to worry about.

Tracy went to bed early, taking David with her though he claimed to be wide awake. Sameen crept upstairs shortly afterwards, making Myka snort in amusement. Did she think she was being subtle?

Pete and Amanda were both watching her worriedly as sunset approached.

"You okay, Sheriff?" Pete asked, his mouth full of leftover biscuit from breakfast.

"Yeah, fine," she said dully. She wasn't fine. Tonight was going to be painful, and even though she knew what she had to do, she didn't want to. Didn't want to end the relationship that had been giving her such joy, especially recently. She was in love with Helena, and now she had to end it, because Helena was what she had always said she was. A monster. A killer. A vampire.

"I'm sorry, boss," Pete said, squeezing her shoulder gently. "You couldn't have known, that she would do something like this. Not that I can entirely blame her – I wanted to kill the jackass myself for threatening you," he said thoughtfully.

"I guess," Myka said, plucking at her sleeve listlessly. She decided to go to Helena's house, to wait for her there. She would have to drop off her key anyway. Might as well get it over with.

She drove to the vampire's house for what would most likely be the last time, her heart heavy and her head full of fog. Helena had killed her father. She wouldn't have known, had it not been for the unexpected strength of David's gift. If she was honest with herself, she would have been okay not knowing. The world was better off without Warren Bering in it, but Helena couldn't just go around killing everyone who offended Myka.

Myka let herself in to the large house, looking around her wistfully as she left her key on the coffee table and sat down, waiting for Helena to rise from her day's sleep.

She felt that whisper against her other sense, felt the blessed silence of Helena's mind, and she took a deep breath before looking up to meet the eyes of her vampire.

"Helena," she said dully.

"Myka. What has happened to you, my love?" Helena said, and Myka took a deep breath, again, to steady herself.

"My father died," Myka said, meeting Helena's eyes, searching them. Even so, she almost missed the tiny flinch that crossed Helena's face.

"I am sorry to hear that, Myka. What happened?" she asked, and her face was carefully blank. Myka laughed bitterly.

"You know my nephew is telepathic, Helena? Well, it appears that his gift is so strong that he heard Warren's last thoughts, about his attacker. Someone who moved like you, David said. Like his Aunt Helena," she said mockingly, and the flinch was much more noticeable, this time. "I know my father was an unpleasant man, Helena, but even he's not stupid enough to piss off a vampire. Who did it? You were with me, so I know it wasn't you."

Helena stared before realising, apparently, that there was no point in pretending. She sat next to Myka.

"An old friend. He owed me a favour."

"And you thought you'd call in that favour by asking him to murder someone. My father. A man I hated, sure. But I didn't want him dead," Myka said, trying to hold back her tears. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to lose what she had with Helena. But she couldn't…

"I did," Helena said, flatly. "He was going to hurt you, Myka. He would have, given the chance. He hurt you, he deserted you, a child, and he would have hurt you, again. I chose not to give him the opportunity again."

"You _chose_? You chose to kill a man, for my benefit, without asking me if it was even something I wanted. You _chose_?"

"Yes," Helena said stiffly. "One way or another, he would have hurt you again, Myka. I could not allow that to happen."

"I see. And what if, somewhere along the line, someone else offends me or hurts me. Are you going to kill everyone that I have a disagreement with?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Myka," Helena said, her face set. "I made a judgement. Your father would have hurt you again; if not physically then certainly emotionally. You were never supposed to know."

"And I would have loved not to know, Helena. But I do. And now that means… I have to do something about it."

"Do what?" Helena asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, given that I'm the Sheriff, and that you have pretty much admitted to me that you arranged for my father's death, I could arrest you for murder. But it would be hard to prove without finding this other vampire, whoever it was. So I'm doing the only thing I can. I'm breaking up with you," Myka said firmly.

Helena stared at her.

"I was looking after your interests, Myka. You know that he would have hurt you again," Helena said, looking completely stunned.

"Yes, he would have. I'm sure of it. He would have hurt me somehow, and probably Tracy and David too. But that's life, Helena. You can't just go around killing people because they hurt me."

"You didn't seem to mind when it was your deputies that I killed," Helena said, angry now. She was almost snarling.

"That was different, Helena. If you can't see that, then I guess… well, we have nothing else to talk about," Myka said, and the pressure in her chest, that had been growing since she came to see Helena, increased exponentially. She had to go. This was really it.

"But I love you," Helena said, looking almost puzzled.

"I know," Myka said, sadly. "I love you too. It doesn't make any difference, though."

Helena pulled Myka against her roughly and kissed her. She was rough but she was thorough, and Myka was out of breath by the time she finished.

"It's the only thing that makes any difference," Helena snarled, and Myka shook her head.

"I'm sorry," Myka said, once she'd caught her breath. She stood unsteadily, pointing at the key on the coffee table. "I left your key. Goodbye, Helena."

"Don't do this, Myka," Helena pleaded, her eyes beginning to leak bloody tears.

"I have to," Myka said. "You told me, and I didn't believe you. You said you were a killer, that you were a monster, and I didn't believe you. Until now."

She turned and walked out, her back straight. She didn't look back. She heard Helena's sobs behind her and her heart clenched. The night before, she had believed she had everything she could ever want. But now that joy tasted like ashes in her mouth.


	20. Chapter 20

_Myka tries to navigate her life without Helena in it, and Christina makes an appearance. Minor character death._

* * *

Myka trudged through the next few days in virtual silence. Tracy, David and Sameen returned a few days after Warren's death, and upon their arrival Tracy and Pete had an urgent conversation on the porch, looking at her with concern through the glass of the back door. She felt almost like she had when her gift hadn't been working – like she was wading through a sea of vague impressions, through a thick sludge of heavy emotion. Only this time, the emotion was hers, the impressions were hers. She was trying to push them away, trying to push the thought of Helena away. She tried to stay at the station for as long as possible, pushing paper around, keeping her head full with budgets and training and forensic reports. It was almost impossible, however, to keep her thoughts and feelings at bay. Helena had inserted herself into Myka's heart and mind and those marks she'd made on Myka's bones, her skin, her muscle – they were indelible. She missed the silence and peace; that incredible contentment she'd always felt in Helena's presence.

Christina and MacPherson hadn't been seen since their attack on Myka. It was making Myka nervous, because she remembered the way that kids had behaved in the foster homes she'd lived in. Kids were vicious, and kids held grudges. The way she figured it, Christina was going to be extremely pissed at her specifically. Given that her more than 100-year murder spree had been because she was upset that her mother had left her and MacPherson, what would she do to a woman who had physically hurt her, made her skin melt down her face?

Later that third night after she had broken up with Helena, she had her answer. Mr Valda called Myka on her cell just as she arrived home from the station; she hadn't even had time to take off her hat.

"Mr Valda. What's wrong?" she asked, knowing that the packmaster would not bother her unnecessarily.

"Sheriff Bering. We found several of our pack dead this morning, murdered by this child vampire. One, however, was still alive, and he woke just moments ago. The vampire was looking for information about you. Who you care about, who you love. They cannot enter your home, Sheriff Bering. But they can enter the station – it's a public building. You may wish to warn your colleagues – it is almost sundown."

Myka thought, afterwards, that she must have said something else to Mr Valda. She definitely hung up, because she called the station right away. The line just rang out the busy signal, something that should never happen. She choked out some words and Pete, Tracy and Sameen followed her to the car and straight to the station. It looked quiet from outside.

Inside, however, the attack was ongoing, Christina rampaging through the station like an avenging angel. There was a trail of devastation in her wake. Claudia Donovan was lying, unmoving, one arm clearly broken, a large blue bruise swelling on her temple. Her nose was bleeding, which meant she was alive, so Myka ignored her for the time being. Leena was in the corner furthest away from them, some sort of shield over her as she muttered something under her breath. Some of the other staff, including Steve, were behind her and the shield, which Christina was trying to get through. She'd already killed Jeff Weaver. He had partially transformed into his wolf form, but she had killed him instantly, ripping his head off with her bare hands, it appeared. There was blood everywhere, in gory patterns on the desks and walls and ceilings. Liam was lying prone next to Jeff's body, his throat torn. It was impossible to tell if he was alive or dead. All this, Myka took in with one glance. She turned to see Sameen, inexplicably with a loaded shotgun, taking aim at the vampire.

"Is it silver?" Myka managed to whisper, while pulling out her own handgun. Sameen nodded. Myka noted absently that she was chewing on something. Gum? Pete and Tracy had transformed behind them in the time it took Myka to look around the scene once.

Myka didn't shout a warning this time. She simply started shooting. Unfortunately, the vampire had already heard them – whether it was her whispering or their movement that had alerted her, Myka wasn't sure. But she blurred out of the path of the bullet, shrieking insanely. She hit Myka low in her side – maybe it was her ribs – and Myka's head suddenly met the wall that had been a few feet to her right, cracking it soundly against the brick. She heard Sameen's gun go off along with twin snarls from Pete and Tracy. Then something hit her head again with another loud crack, and there was pain in her neck, burning, horrible pain, and she knew no more.

This time when she woke she felt a warmth in her chest. It was as if the sun had lodged itself there, in her heart. There was someone nearby, and that someone was making her feel an incredible warmth and happiness. It was calm and quiet, and she could feel cool hands on her brow.

"I love you," she whispered, without thinking.

"And I, you," her vampire replied.

When she woke, she was in Helena's bed. It was daylight, so Helena was gone. Lying next to her was Tracy and David, snuggled in to her side like a baby wombat, she thought, slightly drunkenly. She wasn't entirely sure what a baby wombat looked like, but she was pretty sure David looked like one.

"Hey, sis. You doin' okay?" Tracy asked, and Myka held up a finger. Her sister's voice was approximately the volume of thunder.

"What's going on?" Myka asked, her eyes closed. The light was too bright.

"You almost died. Again," Tracy said flatly. And quietly, a fact for which Myka was extremely grateful.

"Christina?" she asked, trying to remember what happened.

"She got away. Sameen managed to shoot her," Tracy said, her voice turning fond. Myka smiled.

"Silver shot?"

"Yeah. She said you asked her that, just before Christina got to you."

"So what happened?" Myka asked. She could hear another person breathing close by.

"She hit you – the little vamp – and you hit the wall, and then Shaw shot her, but she jumped on you anyway, and hit you in the head again, and then she almost tore out your throat. Pete and I dragged her off you, and she disappeared – blurred away like they do. About the same time, Helena showed up. I don't know how she knew you were hurt, but she was here pretty much before you hit the ground. She fed you some of her blood," Tracy said, and Myka shot bolt upright.

"Shit. Shit. She gave me her blood. I… we weren't supposed to do that. We're going to have a bond, now…" she said, trailing off. How the hell was she going to manage this? A blood bond with the woman – the vampire – who murdered her father? The woman she'd just broken up with five minutes ago, effectively breaking both their fucking hearts?

"She loves you, Myka," Tracy said, and Myka looked at her incredulously.

"Come on, Trace. She killed our father."

"I know," Tracy said, flatly. "Can you blame her? She saw a threat, and she took care of it. Just like she's doing with Christina. She's protecting you from her own daughter, Myka. If nothing else, that ought to tell you that she's on your side."

"I know she's on my side, Tracy, but she killed him! I don't care, not about him. But she killed him because he threatened me. He didn't even do anything; you know? And anyway, why would you forgive her? He was your dad. He was part of your life," Myka said, looking at Tracy in confusion.

Tracy shrugged.

"She did wrong, Myka. But she's not human. We're the first humans she's been around in a long time. She was trying to do something to help you. I loved Dad, but I didn't like him. He was a horrible man. He would have killed you, you know. You and Pete and Amanda. Just because you were different. I honestly don't know what would have happened if he found out about David's telepathy. And last night – I watched Helena save your life, sis. Your heartbeat was stuttering. I thought it was going to stop right there. And she gave you her blood, tore a hole in her wrist, to save your life. And the way she held you – God, she loves you. If I'm on anyone's side, I'm on hers. I think she understands now, that it wasn't okay, but she did it for you."

Myka stared at her sister. Her pragmatic sister who didn't care that Myka's vampire lover had killed their father. Myka didn't care about Warren, not really. But it wasn't okay for Helena to kill him. She couldn't let that go, could she?

David, who had been unceremoniously removed from his warm snuggly place by her side, was starting to stir. Myka checked that her mental shielding was in place, pleased when she discovered that it was, and that the shielding was stronger than ever. She didn't need David reading her mind now, finding out that Helena had killed his grandfather.

"Aunt Myka! You're awake!" he exclaimed, as soon as his eyes opened.

"Yeah buddy, I am," she said, smiling and ruffling his curls. He really was an incredibly cute child.

"You were sick, and Aunt Helena fixed you," he said, and he looked both sad and thrilled.

"I know, little guy. I got in a fight, because I'm the Sheriff."

"Mom told me," he said, nodding solemnly. "Is the vampire going to hurt me, now?"

"Which vampire?" Myka asked, confused.

"The little girl who hurt you. Uncle Pete and Mom were thinking about her, last night when we got here."

"David, honey. You can't listen to people's thoughts, unless they tell you that you can. We talked about this," Myka said, frowning.

"I couldn't stop it, Aunt Myka. They were all so worried about you, and Uncle Pete was crying because his friend died. I couldn't keep them out," he said, sadly. Myka pulled him in, in a one-armed hug, and kissed the top of his head.

"Okay, buddy. I know sometimes you can't stop it. Don't worry," she murmured, and he leaned against her, his arms tight around her middle. Tracy was looking at them, a fond look on her face, and Myka couldn't help but smile in return.

"Who else is here?" Myka asked, remembering the breathing she could hear.

"Sameen's downstairs," Tracy said. "She went to get a sandwich."

Myka took a deep breath. Clearly third time was the charm, so far as imbibing vampire blood went. She could hear someone breathing a floor away from where they were sitting. And if she concentrated – yup, she could tell what Sameen was having. She did briefly wonder why there was any food in Helena's fridge at all, given that Helena didn't eat. But regardless, Sameen was making a sandwich that smelled like three kinds of cooked meat, pickles, chillies and large quantities of spicy sauce. Chipotle? No. Sriracha. The woman must have a stomach like steel, she thought.

"Myka?"

"What?" Myka said, looking up to find Tracy looking at her curiously.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

Myka smiled.

"I was just trying to work out what Sameen is putting on her sandwich. Turns out, when you drink vampire blood, it increases your strength and your senses. So I can tell you each ingredient she's putting on that sandwich. The third time that you exchange blood, it develops a bond between you and the vampire," Myka said, a wry smile on her face.

"Let me guess. This is the third time?" Tracy asked, with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes," Myka said, nodding ruefully.

"So now you're bonded, forever, to a vampire who you just broke up with?" Tracy asked.

"Yup," Myka said shortly.

"Okay. Let's get you some breakfast. David, you hungry?" Tracy asked, changing the subject rapidly.

"Yeah!" the little guy said, jumping up and down. Myka smiled at his antics, and they went down to eat.

Myka returned to the station later that day, to find it almost deserted except for Leena, Pete and Amanda, who were attempting to clean up the devastated office space. There was still blood everywhere.

"Hey, you guys," Myka said, waving at them vaguely. Pete and Amanda nodded to her gravely, and Leena examined her carefully, approaching her slowly. When she was face to face with Myka, she touched her temples gently.

"You're bonded," she murmured, looking at Myka sympathetically.

"Yeah," Myka said, and Leena smiled softly.

"It might not be the worst thing," Leena said.

"I owe you my thanks, Leena. We all do. You saved Steve and those other deputies last night," Myka said, changing the subject.

"I couldn't save Jeff," Leena said sadly. "He was a good man."

"He was," Myka agreed. She made a mental note to see Mrs Frederic about giving some sort of posthumous medal or award for courage. Jeff certainly deserved it. And Leena deserved something, too. She knew from Pete that Jeff didn't have any family, which made her job easier, but it also seemed really sad, somehow, that they were the last people to really know Jeff. And she didn't know him at all, other than that he was respectful and did a good job.

"How are Liam and Claudia?" Myka asked. She'd asked Pete earlier, but he'd just said "fine," in a monotone.

"Liam has a few broken ribs and a concussion. His neck is mostly healed already. Claudia has a broken arm and a few facial fractures – her nose and her cheekbone. And a hell of a headache. But she'd going to be okay."

"Is someone with her?" Myka asked, belatedly. Making sure the others were safe was really her job, but she'd been too distracted with everything else – with her own near-death experience – to deal with any of it.

"The packmaster has guards looking after them both. Liam and Claudia are in the same room, so they've got each other to talk to. Plus I doubt Steve will be leaving anytime soon," Leena said wryly. "Dr Calder is taking care of things so no-one notices how quickly Liam heals, by the way."

Myka nodded, distracted, and picked up a scrubbing brush and some bleach and got to work on the blood stained floor. It was carpet, a boring grey pattern. She'd never really looked at it before, and she didn't much care for the circumstances in which she was doing so now. She spent what felt like hours scrubbing, exchanging the odd word with her co-workers, and she had a few hysterical giggles to herself when she started repeating lines from Macbeth in her head. _"Out, damned spot!"_ She eventually resorted to singing (to herself, of course, as her co-workers didn't deserve that pain) to fill the silence and stop her from thinking what would happen at sundown. She could feel Helena sleeping somewhere under the earth, cold and damp and still. The bond was in full force, now. She was fairly sure that she was going to have a lot of trouble staying away from her vampire ex, now that she had an unbreakable blood bond that made her inexplicably happy in the vampire's presence. It made her feel really pissed, like her own emotions were betraying her.

Leena's hand suddenly swam into view. She put her hand over Myka's.

"I think that's enough for today, Sheriff," she said, quietly, and Myka looked up, blinking myopically as she realised it was beginning to get dark, and that the others were packing up. "It's almost sundown."

"Okay," Myka said, getting up from her knees and stretching, feeling her back crack deliciously. She felt so _strong._ It didn't feel right, that she was here, stronger than ever, when Jeff Weaver was on a slab in the ME's office.

She went to the bathroom to wash up, watching the blood and soapy water combine and drain away, and she tried not to think about what she was going to do when the sun went down. She knew what she wanted to do, but her head and her heart were not in accord. To allow herself to be with Helena was to say that murder was okay, as long as the person doing it thought it was right. Never mind that she didn't give a damn about Warren Bering, and actually thought that him leaving the world was a good thing.

She made her way home, making a quick sweep through town to check for any trouble. There was nothing happening, and she found herself almost disappointed. She was spoiling for a fight, looking for an outlet for her frustration. And she felt powerful enough right now to beat the shit out of a crowd of people. She might even be strong enough to beat Christina – she had no idea how strong she was, now that she was blood-bonded to Helena.

She arrived home to a full house, with Amanda and Tracy in the kitchen cooking something delicious-smelling. David was still up, being entertained by Sameen and Pete and a large amount of Lego. Myka waved at them vaguely before going upstairs to shower. She was just rinsing her hair when she felt Helena rise, and with that feeling came an urge to go to her, to find the vampire and be close to her. She steeled herself and finished showering, changing into some more comfortable clothes before heading down to join the others for dinner. She ate quietly, trying to ignore that feeling, that longing to be with Helena, to be complete.

"You okay, boss?" Pete asked quietly as they cleared the plates together and washed up. It had always made her feel better, washing dishes – it put her in some sort of a contemplative state, that state of just making something clean, doing something simple, uncomplicated. But not tonight. Her insides were wriggling with the need to leave, to go outside, to find Helena.

"This bond, it's difficult to resist. I can feel her, out there, and I want to go to her. But… she killed someone, Pete. She can't just do that. I should have arrested her; you know?"

Pete nodded.

"I know. I don't know if I would get over it, either. But it's not as black and white as that – or at least, not in this world. I killed Sally to save your life. Helena killed Marcus and Walter. Your father – yeah, maybe he wasn't an immediate threat to your safety, boss. But you looked into his mind when we were there picking up Tracy and the little guy. Would he have stopped his buddies if they were killing me? If they were killing you?"

Myka chewed her lip, scrubbing at a particularly persistent piece of burnt-on _something_ from Amanda's casserole.

"I don't think so. He would have been quite happy for his problem – me – to disappear. He doesn't hate me, but I embarrass him. I'm that freak daughter of his. He wouldn't have shed a tear. He might have sweated a little, covering it up, though."

"I can't believe it took his grandchild coming in to stop him from attacking us," Pete said.

"Yeah. Father of the year," Myka snorted. "At least he never found out about the kid's gift – he would probably have tried to make Tracy give him up."

"Yeah, I think you're right. And I'm pretty sure he would have lost that argument – Tracy seems like she might go a little bit cuckoo for cocoa puffs, if someone tried to separate her and the kid."

"Yeah," Myka said, and then sighed. She wanted to find Helena. She needed it. Her skin was crawling with the need to be with her.

"Maybe you should just go with it, boss. She screwed up. I don't think she'll do it again. And like she said to you – she's a vampire. Now that she understands the boundaries, maybe you two can do your thing again," Pete said, thoughtfully.

"I don't know, Pete. It seems like a line that I shouldn't cross. I know that things are pretty fucked up, with vampires and shapeshifters and all that, but that doesn't mean I should give up on doing the right thing. Even if it is hard," she said, and she almost laughed out loud at the understatement. It was damn near impossible.

"Boss, you don't look so good. Maybe you should just go see her, just to talk. You don't have to get back together." Pete was watching her carefully, concern etched across his face.

Myka brushed her hand across her forehead wearily.

"I don't know if I can do that, Pete. Just talk. It might be too hard not to… you know…" she trailed off.

"It's better than looking like you're going to crawl out of your own skin, Mykes. Go see her. Talk to her. It can't be worse than this. Me and Amanda and Shaw will keep an eye on things here, okay? No need to worry. Just go, please."

She nodded at him and went out the front door, looking for her car keys in her jacket pocket. She didn't need them, however. Helena was already there, waiting. She lifted Myka up bodily without a word, and a few very blurry seconds later they were in Helena's living room.

"Please, sit," she said awkwardly, to a stunned Myka, who just nodded and sat, trying to catch her breath.

"Can I get you a drink?" Helena asked solicitously.

"Yes, please. Something cold?" Myka asked, and Helena disappeared into the kitchen. She returned with a glass of cold beer and a bottle of Tru Blood.

Being close to Helena had alleviated a lot of the distress that the blood bond was causing, so Myka took a deep breath and a sip of her drink.

"I wanted to check you were okay," Helena began, awkwardly.

"You knew I was okay, Helena," Myka replied. "You saved my life again. And you bonded us," she added. Helena flinched a little.

"I had no choice, Myka. You were dying. Your heart was about to stop beating, and your neck was broken. You would have died."

"It wasn't really your choice to make. I remember that I told you that I didn't want this," Myka said, but her heart wasn't really in it. She couldn't really be mad at Helena for saving her – again. But this bond was a complication she hadn't been prepared for.

"I would do it again, whether you agreed or not," Helena said stubbornly. Myka just sighed.

"Is it always going to feel like this when we're apart?" Myka asked, almost plaintively.

"No," Helena said softly, sitting down close to Myka. "It will be like this for a few days, perhaps a week. But then it will reduce so that you will only feel better when we are close – you will not feel bad if we are not."

"Okay," Myka breathed, relieved. That should make things easier.

"You can go, if you wish," Helena said, her face still. "I only wished to make sure you were safe."

"I can stay, for a little while," Myka said, and Helena's face relaxed a little. They sat there in silence for a few moments, and Myka felt everything, all of the tension inside her, melt away to nothing. There was no noise, here, and Helena's presence, as always, made her feel calm. But more than that, now, it made her feel secure, warm, as if she were a small animal burrowed in the safest place it knew. She felt profoundly content, and without thinking about it she moved closer to Helena, putting her head in the crook of Helena's neck and taking a breath of pure happiness. Helena was stiff against her for a moment, before she, too, relaxed and pulled Myka closer to her, her arm around Myka's waist. Though she was cool to the touch, as always, Myka felt only warmth. This was her place, and she couldn't think why she would ever want to leave it. She knew that there were reasons – good reasons – why she shouldn't, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She loved Helena, and Helena loved her, and for now, that was all that mattered.

She woke in the morning alone in Helena's bed. She was in pyjamas. She had vague recollections of the night before, but mostly it was just an impression of feeling content to the point where she felt almost drugged. She knew Helena had carried her to bed but she was fairly sure that nothing other than a little cuddling had happened between them. She didn't know how to feel, now that she was emerging from her daze of contentment. She hadn't wanted to spend time with Helena – or at least her head hadn't. But her heart – it had a mind of its own.


	21. Chapter 21

_This week has been a week of horror. In the US, the Orlando murders. In the UK, a far right "mentally ill" (aka white) extremist murders a wonderfully sincere MP. People are trying to take our rights away, trying to move us back, instead of forwards. I think we should all do our damndest not to let that happen. For my part, I will be voting to remain part of the EU for a start, but I also intend to carry on writing fanfiction, to do my part to spread the gay. So here's this week's contribution, which has our Myka struggling to resist her vampire, and struggling to reconcile the death of Warren Bering with her feelings for Helena. Stay weird, my friends. Don't give in. (Also. NSFW. Bad words and smut.)_

* * *

Myka went back to the house, finding Tracy and Sameen sitting outside on the porch swing, watching David run around the yard playing Frisbee with dog-Pete. Amanda was out somewhere, Tracy said vaguely. Myka remembered, suddenly, that they needed to talk about the frightening strength of David's abilities.

"Hey, Trace. Could we talk for a minute?" she asked, and Tracy nodded, following her inside.

"What's up, sis?" Tracy asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about David. I'm a little frightened, honestly. There is no way he should have been able to hear what Dad was saying when he got killed. The distance is just incredible. I know it was his last moments, so maybe the volume of his mind was a little louder than usual – but still. He was in Colorado."

"Well, none of this really makes sense to me, Myka," Tracy said. "But if you say there are rules, then I believe you. What do you want to do?"

"I think we need to go see Artie," Myka said, and Tracy nodded.

"Sure, sis. Whatever you say," she said, before smiling slyly. "So, you and the vampire made up, I guess? Since you didn't come back last night."

Myka shifted a little uncomfortably, palming the back of her neck self-consciously.

"I… I didn't – we didn't do anything. I just… I can't stay away from her, not right now. It's a compulsion. This bond is so strong…" she trailed off, avoiding Tracy's eyes.

Tracy reached out and squeezed her forearm.

"Hey, big sis. Don't worry about it. Like I said, I don't blame her, not really. I mean, I'm sad that Dad's gone – a little. But I don't have any problem with you being with her. Quite the opposite, actually. It sounds like she's saved your life a lot, and I'd rather she stayed close in case something else happens."

"Okay," Myka said, nodding. "I guess I'll just have to let it sit for a while, think it through."

Tracy nodded at her and then sent her to sit on the porch with Sameen while she made some coffee. Myka went to sit next to the small woman, nodding a greeting.

"Thanks for the help, the other night," Myka said, a little self-consciously.

"No problem," Sameen said, nodding. "She's pretty hardcore, that kid."

"Yeah," Myka said, laughing a little – a sound that had no humour in it. Christina had killed far too many children to ever be considered funny.

"She's your vampire's daughter, huh?"

"Yeah," Myka said, with a small wince.

"That's… fuck me. How the hell did that even happen?" Sameen asked.

"It was the civil war," Myka began, and Sameen gaped at her.

"The American Civil War? Are you shitting me?"

"No," Myka said, smiling at Sameen's amazement. "Helena was made into a vampire just before the war, and she always kept an eye on Christina. Some sort of mothering instinct left over from her human life, I guess. There was this one night and there were some deserters looking for food – they killed her husband and the kid, too."

"Shit."

"Yeah," Myka agreed. "So she turned the kid – not realising, or maybe not remembering, that child vampires are insane. She turned the kid, and she just couldn't be controlled. Helena's maker, James, wouldn't help Helena control her thirst – he didn't care how many people she killed. So he was pretty thrilled when Christina turned out to be a bloodthirsty little monster. Helena eventually left them because she couldn't take it anymore, and learned to control herself and not kill every time she ate. And since then, the kid has been running around, killing children all over the place to get back at her mom. I found – there were some twin girls, and one of them went missing. I hadn't been here long. I found her, heard her crying, you know, in my head?"

Sameen nodded.

"I carried her back home through the woods, and her parents were so happy. It was one of the best days of my career. And then Christina killed them both, on Helena's birthday. She left a flower and a note. The kid is just… out of control," she finished, and Sameen nodded, avid and appalled.

"That's fucking crazy," she muttered, eating a handful of what looked like pretzels.

"I know," Myka agreed, and they both sat in companionable silence for a minute until Tracy arrived with coffee for them both. They all sat watching David and Pete play, and Myka didn't need her gift to know that both Tracy and Sameen were slightly melting. It was awfully cute, Myka had to admit. Even though the dog in question was actually her friend and deputy, he was still a dog, and his exuberant joy was warming to watch. Myka thought it was a shame, really, that she didn't have any feelings for Pete other than fraternal ones – it would be much easier to be in a relationship with Pete than with Helena. It was unlikely that he would ever murder someone in cold blood the way Helena had.

She didn't go to the station that day, at Leena's insistence.

"We've hired a cleanup crew, boss. It's better if we just replace the furniture and decoration, Mrs Frederic thinks. We're replacing the carpet – I know you worked hard on it, but the blood is just not coming out. If there are any important calls, I'll let you know. Otherwise, I guess you should consider this a day off. Mrs Frederic will be coming to see you later, though."

"Okay," Myka said, before hanging up and returning to her coffee.

Mrs Frederic did turn up around lunchtime, and despite offers from Amanda and Tracy for her to stay, she only asked to speak to Myka before disappearing again into the ether.

"Sheriff Bering, I heard about the unfortunate incident at the station. Rest assured, the cleanup will be taken care of and the station re-equipped as necessary. I have come to see you, however, to warn you. This danger, the evil of which I warned you – it is almost time, now, and you and your people need to be vigilant. The girl is deranged, and her master no less so. You must be vigilant, otherwise no-one will be left to stand against her and her master, and that will begin an avalanche, a wave of violence against humans the likes of which you could not imagine. You have sacrificed a lot, Sheriff, but you may be called upon to sacrifice more before this matter is resolved. I trust in your judgement," Mrs Frederic said, before nodding and walking off to her car and driver.

The Mayor's visit left Myka unsettled. This trouble or evil or whatever she was predicting was pretty terrifying, and it was a lot to put on Myka, who was just a Sheriff, at the end of the day. A Sheriff who could hear thoughts, and seemed to be surrounded by supernatural beings, but still a Sheriff. How was she supposed to stop a wave of violence against humans?

If the rest of her guests noticed her preoccupation, they didn't mention it. Later that day, however, Myka decided to tell them what Mrs Frederic had said. They all sat in silence for a moment, digesting what she'd said.

"I think Leena is the one who gets to see the future or whatever. I don't know what they're planning, but we all need to be really careful. Sameen, would you be open to signing on as a Deputy for a little while?" Myka asked, and the small woman nodded after a silent conversation with Tracy.

"Cool. First thing tomorrow, we'll go get you some equipment – silver bullets, handcuffs, all that good stuff."

Sameen nodded again, this time more eagerly. The prospect of shooting someone seemed to cheer her up. Myka had to agree – the idea of shooting Christina or James was very appealing.

"Tracy, I need you to make sure that you stay close to David. Christina attacked the station because she can't get in the house. You need to keep your eyes open."

Tracy nodded, a little wide-eyed, but she also looked furious at the idea of anyone touching her son. Myka thought, with some satisfaction, that if anyone touched David they might take on more than they'd bargained for with Tracy.

Myka took the opportunity to call Artie to ask if he could see David. His new assistant, Deb, answered, and said his only appointment was late the following evening.

"Believe it or not, he's got a lot of work on this next few days – actual law stuff, you know," Deb said dryly. "He can see David tomorrow after his last appointment. 8pm okay for you?"

"Sure," Myka said. "Thanks, Deb."

When she thought about it, however, she wondered how good of an idea it was. The sun would go down when they were at the appointment. Maybe it would be a better idea to have Artie come to them, if that were possible. She decided to talk to Tracy about it later.

The day was strangely pleasant. Myka felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't felt since she was a child, on the rare occasions when they'd gone to visit cousins or grandparents. Family was a strange concept for her, and even with Jack and Rebecca, she'd never really felt like their child – just the kid that they took in out of pity. Not that they ever made her feel that way – that was just how she felt about it. Her father's abandonment had meant that she'd never really relaxed enough there to feel like she belonged. She thought about Abigail, about how she'd planned to go and see the woman again before all the craziness of the last weeks. She made a mental note to arrange another session soon, to help her to deal with all of these changes in her life. The situation with Helena and this blood bond alone was worth a few sessions, surely? Myka shook off her preoccupation and took a turn playing Frisbee with Pete and David, and later Pete (in human form) showed the kid the fundamentals of basketball, looking so serious that it made Myka smile, and Amanda melt.

"He's so sweet with him," Amanda said, almost gushing, and Sameen snickered next to her.

"Shut up, Shaw" Amanda said, blushing and nudging Sameen with her shoulder. "He's cute, I can't help it. Anyway, you can't talk – have you even left Tracy's side since you guys met?"

It was Sameen's turn to blush then, and she turned away as if she hadn't heard, but Myka could see the tips of her ears pinking up. Myka chuckled, and Sameen shot her a filthy look that dissolved into fondness when Tracy came out of the house carrying beer and soda.

The day had gone a long way towards restoring Myka's spirits. At the back of her mind, however, was the problem that Helena had become. Myka was resigned to spending time with Helena for at least the next few days. After that, however, was a question mark. She still had a decision to make – whether to forgive Helena or not. Or rather, not whether to forgive Helena, but whether to trust Helena not to do something like this again. Myka couldn't honestly say she was upset that her father was dead, but she was upset that Helena had had him killed. No-one else seemed to be, however – not even Tracy, who was being surprisingly phlegmatic about it. David seemed a little sad, but accepted the absence of his grandfather in an unusual way that Myka thought might have something to do with him having heard the man's last thoughts. She made a mental note to talk that over with Artie when they spoke.

That night Helena appeared at the bottom of the stairs to the porch, her posture uncertain, but Tracy stood and welcomed her, and David ran to her, grabbing her around the legs and shouting "Aunt Helena!" Myka could see the stunned confusion on Helena's face. She had expected anger or fear even, for her part in arranging Warren's death, but she was receiving none from anyone but Myka. She looked at Myka, her eyes wide, and Myka nodded at her, indicating the seat next to her that Sameen had just absented. Helena came to sit next to her and kissed her on the cheek, her cool lips lingering.

"Good evening, my love," she murmured, and Myka took a deep breath.

"Hello, Helena," she said, for want of a better phrase. She didn't know how to relate to Helena, and it showed. Everyone was watching them, eyes wide at the awkwardness of the scene.

"So, Helena, can I get you some Tru Blood?" Tracy asked, cutting through the atmosphere, and Helena nodded and smiled.

"I missed you," Helena said quietly, and Myka sighed.

"I can't talk about this now, Helena," she said quietly, and Helena nodded stiffly, her face set. Pete and Sameen shared looks of awkwardness, and Myka had a desire for a moment to strangle them. They could at least try to make things less awkward, but neither of them had the best social skills. Or any. Myka hurriedly asked them about their military days, which led to another conversation between Pete, Sameen and Amanda where they were trying to one-up each other with their combat stories. Tracy returned with Helena's Tru Blood, and they sat quietly watching the three ex-military weres duke it out over who was toughest, or who had the best story. David grew weary early on in the conversation and came to sit on Myka's knee, and it wasn't long before he ended up fast asleep and draped across both Myka and Helena. Myka had to admit that she was truly content in that moment, feeling that sense of belonging once again along with the happiness that came with her new bond with Helena. She revelled in it, and part of her hated that she felt that way, because it wasn't her choice. She felt good when Helena was here whether she liked it or not. It didn't matter that she'd _always_ felt happy when Helena was around; the point was that now she didn't have a choice. She sighed and put her head on Helena's shoulder, giving in to the way she felt. Helena put her arm around Myka and they sat there with Myka's new family, David asleep on their knee. Myka smiled a little, and Helena pulled her closer, her arm cool around Myka's waist. Myka wondered how she could even be contemplating giving this up for the sake of Warren Bering, a man who had abandoned her in her childhood and whose most recent input into her life was to call her a freak and threaten to hurt her and her friends. It didn't make sense. But so little of her life did, now, that she couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. She took another slow, deep breath and let herself relax, resolving to enjoy the moment for now and worry about the future of the relationship once the intensity of the blood bond had waned.

Helena spoke little, but she did, at one point, refer to Sameen as "little shadowcat", causing a ripple of amusement around their little group.

"Why'd you call me that, HG?" Sameen asked, her mouth full as usual, and Helena looked at her uncertainly.

"Well, you are little, even in your were form. The smallest werepanther I have ever seen," Helena began, and Sameen's face darkened, but then a smile crossed her face at Helena's next words, "and you are without question the fiercest. I believe you would have killed my daughter had she not run away. She ran away _because_ of you, in fact. Does the name offend you?" she asked, and Sameen shook her head, grinning with an open mouth full of food. Pete and Amanda shared a look of amusement, and Myka sighed. There was probably some sort of popular culture reference that she and Helena were both missing, but Sameen seemed pretty pleased with her nickname, so Myka mentally shrugged.

Later that night, Myka went back to Helena's house, ostensibly to allow Pete and Amanda a night in a real bed, but if she was being honest, she wanted to be alone with Helena. She needed to be closer to the vampire. The bond demanded it, but so did Myka's heart. She didn't want this separation, but her head was still so messed up about everything. And no-one else felt the same way, not even Tracy, who'd spent her whole life with Warren as her father. Granted, Tracy was a little more pragmatic and sometimes a lot scarier than Myka would have given her little sister credit for, but she'd still have expected her to be angry at Helena for killing their father. The fact that she wasn't had destroyed any certainty that Myka had about what the right thing was.

Helena lifted Myka and carried her home, the landscape around them blurring during the short journey back to her house. Myka could sense a tension in the vampire that she didn't understand. When they arrived at the house, Helena carried her directly to the huge bathroom, and set Myka on her feet before beginning to fill the tub. Myka didn't have time to ask what she was doing before she had disappeared. Myka heard her use the microwave downstairs. For want of anything better to do, Myka sat on the closed lid of the toilet, her hands under her thighs, and waited for the vampire to return.

Helena returned a few minutes later with a glass of wine for Myka and a bottle of Tru Blood. She handed the wine to Myka and put her own drink in the cupholder on the side of the tub. She began to strip her clothes off, and as she did so, she began to speak. "I have been so worried, Myka, that I would hurt you. So worried, in fact, that I gave no thought to the idea that you might hurt me. Let alone so profoundly. It has been – what is it you humans call it? A learning curve. I had no idea that I had the capacity to be so hurt. But nor did I have any idea that I could love anyone, let alone a human, this much. And now we are bonded. So what now, Myka? For we can clearly not stay away from each other," the vampire finished. Her tone was matter-of-fact, and she slipped into the tub, naked and gleaming, as Myka watched, transfixed.

"I… I don't know, Helena," she admitted, and after a moment, she, too, began to strip, putting her wine down on the side of the tub and stepping in. They looked at each other, faces expressionless, and Helena said nothing for a long moment. She took a sip from the steaming bottle, and when she turned back to Myka, there was blood on her teeth. Blood on her fangs. Myka felt an intense pang of need.

"You don't want me anymore?" Helena asked, but it wasn't truly a question. It was slightly mocking, slightly hurt, and slightly angry.

"Helena, you're making out like you're the victim here. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to break up with you. But you killed someone. Someone who wasn't in the process of trying to kill me, or hurt anyone. He was just an ass. And yeah, I understand that you perceived him as a threat, and that you dealt with it the way you thought was right. But it wasn't, and I know you haven't been human for a long time, but you should know that, Helena," Myka said, exasperated.

"I know it now, Myka, because you say it. I know because you have told me, because Tracy has told me, because Pete has told me. But I don't understand it. The man hurt you. He destroyed your childhood and because of him, what should have been a precious gift became a curse. Your boyfriend, Sam? He could have lived, but for your father. You were beaten and abused because of him. And you cannot sit there and tell me that your father would have dealt well with the revelation that his precious grandson was a 'freak' like his daughter," she snarled.

"No, he wouldn't, Helena. I don't know what he would have done. But I never got the chance to find out because you killed him. That's not how humans do things."

Helena looked at her incredulously.

"Okay, that's not how we _should_ do things. Murder is a crime, Helena. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I care if he's alive or dead. I don't. It's not that he's dead. It's that you thought it was okay to kill him. That's the problem."

Helena looked at her for a long time.

"I do understand, Myka. But I do not agree with your idea that because of this, we should separate. I can learn, to understand your morals, what is acceptable in your human world and what is not. What I cannot do is find another person I love. I love you, and only you. You have taken that away, without discussion or my consent," Helena ground out, and Myka felt a twinge of remorse.

"Maybe you're right, Helena. Maybe I've been looking at this wrong. Maybe we should try again. Right now, I don't know. This bond has my head so confused that all I want to do is be near you. I can't trust my own feelings right now," Myka said, shaking her head slightly.

"I understand," Helena said, her eyes suddenly half-lidded. She moved closer and somehow her mouth was around Myka's earlobe, and a hand was touching Myka's hip and then her lower belly. Myka took a shaky breath.

"Helena, I didn't mean…" and then she couldn't speak for a long moment because all she could think was _oh god_ because Helena's hands were on her buttocks, pulling Myka easily into her lap, and Helena's mouth was on her neck, sucking on her gently, fangs stinging but not penetrating.

"Helena, I think we should talk," Myka managed, her brain becoming less clear by the moment.

"And I think I should fuck you until you forget your name, let alone why you felt the need to leave me," Helena snarled, her lips framing the swear word precisely against Myka's ear, and Myka didn't protest anymore, because how could she? Helena waited for her to say no. She looked Myka in the eyes, her pupils huge, and when Myka didn't protest, Helena took her roughly, fingers and fangs slipping into her simultaneously, causing Myka to cry out, a broken cry of pleasure and pain mixed, and then Myka didn't think anything at all, because she couldn't remember anything but this, the feeling of Helena inside her, the things that Helena made her feel. Helena was rough with her, but it was incredible. She felt like Helena was reaching inside of her, touching some part of her that no-one had ever touched. It was profound, somehow, the depth of the sensation that Helena gave her. And Helena was right - during the long night that followed Myka couldn't have concentrated for long enough to remember her own name. Hell, she couldn't have identified herself in a line-up.

Later, when she was fighting to stay awake, Helena's arms around her, she realised that the vampire was weeping quietly next to her.

"Don't cry, Helena," she said, drowsiness almost overtaking her. "I didn't stop loving you. Please, don't cry. We'll talk about it when the bond isn't like this. Please," she said, and Helena buried her face in Myka's hair.

"I've never loved anyone like this," Helena whispered, and Myka tightened her arms around her.

"I've never felt this hurt before," she said, and Myka's heart twisted.

"I'm sorry, Helena. I've never felt like this either. I'm sorry. We'll work it out. We'll talk about it," she promised, and Helena nodded. But it took a while for her tears to stop. Myka managed to stay awake to comfort her, but as soon as Helena settled down, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The following morning she found a note by the bed, along with her key.

 _My love_

 _I hope that you meant what you said last night, because otherwise you have given me that most poisonous of gifts; false hope. Today I sleep in the ground, ten paces to the north of Paul James' final resting place. I hope to see you when I wake._

 _Yours_

 _Helena_

Myka smiled slightly and brought the paper closer to her face, detecting the faint scent of Helena's perfume. She had never met anyone like Helena, and might never again. The vampire loved so fiercely. Myka had to admit to herself that she couldn't see a way to leave Helena, no matter how heinous her actions in dealing with Warren Bering. She loved the vampire too much, and the idea of losing her – of leaving her – was almost unthinkable. She wondered how much of that thought was her, and how much was the blood bond. In some ways, it didn't really matter, because the blood bond had been forged by Helena saving Myka's life. She couldn't exactly complain about its existence.


	22. Chapter 22

_The next part - Myka muses on the meaning of family, and Christina's campaign of terror continues. Not long to go now, only a few chapters. Ish._

* * *

Myka walked back home, her mind turning the problem of Warren Bering's death over and over in her mind. When she got back to her house, things were relatively quiet. Pete was at the Sheriff's office, so it was just Tracy, Amanda and David. And Sameen, of course.

"Hey guys," she said, and got a few lazy waves in return.

"Walk of shame much?" Amanda said, as she walked past Myka to grab her some coffee from the kitchen. Myka couldn't help but blush. She wondered how obvious her condition was.

"So, what's it like, with a vampire?" Sameen asked a few minutes later, when Myka sat down.

"Sameen!" Myka gasped, indicating David with wide eyes.

"It's okay, Aunt Myka," David said, a long-suffering look on his face. "I have my shields up, so I'll just put my fingers in my ears."

"It's okay, David. Sameen and I can talk about it another time, when you're asleep or something. And when I'm very drunk, preferably," she muttered, under her breath. Sameen snickered, and Myka shot her a filthy look. She finished her coffee and went to call the station, to find out how Pete was faring and what was happening.

"Hey, Mykes," Pete said, when he answered. "How's that walk of shame coming along?" he asked, and she took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and finger.

"Hi, Pete," she said, and her tone told him to keep his observations to himself. "What's going on at the station?"

"Well, boss. It was quiet last night. It's not cleaned up totally yet. New carpets and furniture coming today, and everything should be back to normal by the night shift."

"Okay," Myka said. "I'll come in a little later, then, just to check on things. Tell Leena to call me if she needs me."

"Yes Ma'am," he said, automatically, and she sighed.

"See you later, Pete," she said, and hung up. She knew she should have headed off that 'Ma'am' business a lot earlier.

Myka had a short discussion with Tracy, and they both decided that it was a good idea to postpone David's appointment that night with Artie. Leaving the house after dark was not advisable, given Christina's actions this week. She left a message with Deb and asked Artie to get in touch when he had time to see them.

They took David to a local park and went out for ice cream, the afternoon passing quickly. Myka dropped in to the station to check on the progress of the cleanup, and found a crew in the process of changing the carpets, since the stains that she and others had worked so hard on had refused to come out.

Helena turned up at sundown, and they all spent the evening together, watching some football game that Sameen was into. Helena didn't understand the game, and neither did Myka, so Pete, Sameen and Amanda spent their time explaining the rules. Despite her excellent memory, it still made no sense to her.

Not long after Tracy went upstairs to put David to bed, Myka's cell rang. It was Deb Stanley, calling from Artie's office.

"Sheriff, Artie has been attacked," she said without preamble, and Myka gasped.

"Was it Christina?" she asked.

"I don't know, ma'am – I can tell you that whoever it was, they bit him badly. He's still alive, and Dr Calder is on her way. I've just put some pressure on the wounds – there's nothing else I can do."

Myka nodded. Deb had a good head on her shoulders.

"Why didn't she hurt you?" she asked, and Deb sighed.

"I wasn't here. I was heading home. Artie was just doing some paperwork before he closed up. I came back because I left my cell on my desk," Deb said. "Maybe I could have helped, if I was here," she said, and Myka shook her head, forgetting that Deb couldn't see her.

"All you could have done was died," Myka said, "unless you have some special power I know nothing about."

"No, ma'am," Deb said, and Myka wondered for a moment if that were really true. She hadn't detected anything different about Deb, but that didn't necessarily mean anything, especially not in this town.

"Do you want me to come over?" Myka asked. "I don't know if there's anything I can do, other than take a report. But I can come if you need me to."

"No, it's fine," Deb said. "I just thought you should know. Chances are it's the vampire kid, from what Artie has told me, and that means she was after you or your nephew. I wanted to warn you."

"Okay, Deb. Call me if there's anything I can do," Myka said, and hung up.

"What happened?" Helena asked, from behind her, and Myka turned to speak to her, seeing that everyone else was waiting to hear her news, too. She returned to the living room and sat down before passing on the news.

"Demons are very strong. He will be fine," Helena said confidently.

"I hope so," Myka said, shrugging. "But it means that Christina or MacPherson found out that we were planning to go to Artie's tonight, and that they were planning to attack us. We need to be extra vigilant," Myka said, meeting Sameen's eyes and then Pete's. They both nodded, checking their holsters reflexively. Their claws might prove to be the more successful weapons, but the firearms would do to start with. It was better to attack vampires from a distance, at least at first.

"She will take a child soon, if she can," Helena muttered, rubbing her temples. "She will be frustrated that she hasn't been able to hurt you as you've hurt her."

"I know," Myka said. "Do you have any ideas as to how we can prevent her hurting anyone else?"

"All you can do is patrol, carefully, with your were officers. They will at least have a chance against her."

"Okay. And what about you?" Myka asked, noting that Helena was putting her coat on.

"I'm going to search for her and James. If I can't find them, they might at least be deterred by my presence," Helena said.

"Okay," Myka said, leaning over slightly to kiss the vampire's pale cheek. "Be careful. Call me if you run into her, and I'll be right there."

"Likewise," Helena said, nodding.

"You guys okay to take shifts patrolling tonight?" Myka asked, and Sameen and Pete agreed.

"I'll come too," Amanda said, and Myka shook her head.

"No, Amanda. We need someone here who can defend David if Christina tries to attack the house. She might not be able to get in, but that doesn't mean she can't do anything."

Amanda nodded, and they left to patrol as planned.

Myka's words about Christina attacking the house would come back to her in the coming days, when it was too late to make any difference. Just because a vampire couldn't get in to the house didn't mean that they weren't able to hurt anyone.

Their patrolling that night was either effective or pointless – they really had no way of knowing which. Christina didn't show, nor did James. Myka made her way to Helena's house at 4 in the morning, leaving Pete and Sameen patrolling for the remainder of the night-time hours. Helena was waiting for her, a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose and a laptop in her lap, oddly. She didn't generally use new technology, or so it had appeared to Myka so far.

"What are you doing?" Myka asked, as Helena looked up at her, a half-smile on her face. Myka herself was feeling the full force of the blood bond at that moment, and had almost been knocked over by the strength of her happiness at seeing Helena again, despite them having been apart for only a few hours.

"I am writing," Helena said simply.

Myka changed into pyjamas, slipping into bed beside Helena, who kissed her gently.

"What kind of writing?" Myka asked.

"I write fiction," Helena said. Myka stared at her.

"What do you mean, you write fiction? Like, you're a published writer?" Myka asked.

"Well. Yes," Helena said, and indicated a small bookshelf in the corner. "My books – some of them, at least – are on the shelf."

Myka went to the shelf and gasped as she found a series of books by an author she loved – whose name was not Helena Wells. Emily Rivers wrote fiction about a vampire who had decided, when she and her kind came out of the coffin, to become an astronaut. It took some convincing, but NASA had seen the benefits eventually. Vampires could survive in a vacuum, had no need for oxygen, and could live forever, potentially, given a steady food source. The saga was long and involved, and in the most recent book, the vampire protagonist had gone to Mars with a handpicked crew, colonising the planet with vampires who worked to ready the planet for human habitation. It was fascinating, full of convincing detail, well-written… and it had been written by Helena. Her Helena.

"My God, Helena. I can't believe… these are your books?" Myka asked, in a gasp.

"Yes. I have nothing but time, Myka, and writing has allowed me to live in so many different worlds," Helena said, stiffly. Myka thought that if she could have, however, she would have blushed.

"I… I can't believe you wrote this," Myka said, and Helena looked up at her, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Why? Am I such an evil being that you believe me incapable of insight, of understanding?" Helena asked, and Myka shook her head.

"Helena, I don't…" Myka sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Helena, and sighed. "I don't think you're evil. I don't think you're bad. I just think – you shouldn't have done what you did. And now things are so confused that I don't know what to think. I have no choice but to be happy when I'm around you, and that makes me confused about how I really feel about you. My friends, my sister, my nephew – no-one seems to care that you killed my father. And that makes me even more confused. I don't think you're evil, okay? I know you're smart and beautiful and I know you care about me. But Helena, you scared me. Not because I'm afraid you'll hurt me," she said, holding up her hand as Helena began to protest. "But because I'm afraid that I'll say something that makes you think you should hurt or kill someone else for me. And I don't want that responsibility, Helena."

Helena stilled for a long moment, clearly considering Myka's words.

"I believe I understand more fully, now, what I have done wrong. I will consider this, Myka, I promise you. But all I can do is swear to you that I will never hurt or kill anyone again in your name. Your father's death is not your responsibility; it is mine. I took the decision to kill him, and yes, it was because of my feelings for you. But the action was mine. I decided to do this, not you. And I promise that I will never burden you with that sort of responsibility again. I will only ever hurt someone if they are actively trying to hurt or kill you. And if it is possible, I will try to leave them alive to be brought to justice, rather than kill them. This promise I make you, Myka, in the hopes that with it, you will find your faith in me once again."

Helena's eyes on hers were sincere, and her heart, already full to bursting with her usual feelings for Helena, with the happiness caused by the blood bond – overflowed with emotion. This woman, this vampire, was the most exceptional person she had ever known. And no-one had ever treated Myka this way, as if she were worth every sacrifice they could make for her and more.

"I… Jesus, Helena, I love you," she said, and she threw herself forward, almost destroying the startled vampire's laptop in her enthusiasm. She kissed Helena with all of the suppressed desire and love and… everything she'd been feeling since they broke up. They were soon crying out together, their bodies entwined intimately, and when they came, it was together, Helena staring into Myka's eyes with the beginnings of tears at the corner of her own black eyes.

"I love you, Myka," she murmured, her strong arms holding Myka above her effortlessly. "I love you, so much," she said, again, and pulled Myka to her, their bodies against each other, skin to skin, and they slept until Helena absolutely had to leave, a few minutes before the dawn. Myka roused briefly when Helena moved from underneath her, something inside her crying out at the loss, but she soon slept again, more peacefully than she had in days.

She made her way to the station early that morning, managing to avoid rousing anyone at home when she went to shower and change into her uniform. She was at the station by 8 and was greeted, as usual, by a hot cup of coffee and a sandwich, oddly, that appeared to have bacon and eggs and were those hash browns in there?

"Leena, you don't have to do this," she protested, as the station manager put the food and coffee in front of her a few seconds after she sat down at her new desk.

"I don't have to. I want to," Leena said, with a luminous smile. She was gone before Myka could utter another protest, so Myka just shrugged and ate, finding the sandwich incredibly delicious and just perfect for her current condition, which was overtired and a little confused, if she were honest. The night before – or rather earlier that morning, with Helena, had been amazing and cathartic and beautiful, and she was feeling a lot happier about her continuing need to be near the vampire. She was still confused, however, about how she felt about Warren Bering's death. And she had a feeling that she'd overlooked something related to this whole Christina situation. She sent a quick message off to Dr Calder, firstly, asking about Artie's condition, and received a brief reply stating that the demon was recovering well. She then wrote some notes down about David's telepathy. Its strength was pretty scary, even to her, who was used to the idea of hearing others' thoughts. She then decided to take a quick look around the station before sitting down to review the evidence they'd found at each crime scene, to see if there was anything at all they might have missed.

By noon she was virtually cross-eyed, having read through each of the reports exhaustively, and she had found nothing. Or rather, she'd found everything – trace amounts of virtually anything and everything that could be found in the area – trees, dirt, water, even bits of fur and bone from animals. Clearly Christina had been supplementing her diet with animals – something that was unlikely to improve her sanity, from what Helena had said about vampires who drank animal blood.

She decided to take a break and went to see Artie, who was resting at the home he shared with Dr Calder. She called to check it was okay, of course – she didn't get the impression that Dr Calder would be the type of person to enjoy entertaining uninvited guests.

"Myka, hi," Dr Calder said, stepping aside to encourage Myka to come inside. The house was large and airy and beautiful; in short, it was nothing like the kind of place Myka would have expected Artie to live in.

"How's he doing?" she asked, taking off her hat and trying to smooth her sweat-drenched hair back into some semblance of order.

"He's fine. Grumpy, as always. She didn't do much damage, really. Just took him by surprise. He's an old man, now," Dr Calder said, and as she did so, she led Myka into a room where Artie was sleeping – or at least pretending to, because she was pretty sure she saw his eye twitch open when Dr Calder called him an old man.

"Let me get you some iced tea," Dr Calder said, heading off towards the kitchen, and Myka sat down opposite Artie awkwardly, her hat in her hand. She wasn't sure why she was here, other than that she felt guilty for Artie's involvement in this mess.

"You don't need to feel guilty, Sheriff," Artie mumbled, reaching out to grab his glasses from the table next to him and placing them on his face, slightly askew. He was on a voluminous couch that looked like it had been built for giants. That thought gave Myka pause. Did giants exist, too?

"Don't be ridiculous, Sheriff," Artie barked. "How would giants manage to hide themselves in this age of cellphones and digital photography and drones?"

Myka dropped her head, looking at her shoes. She felt like she was being chastised by the school principal.

"You needn't feel guilty, as I said, Sheriff. I chose to help you, and your nephew, with full knowledge of what might happen. Mrs Frederic does have a psychic on staff, you know, and she has had brief flashes of future possibilities. This was one of those possibilities. I am injured, but not gravely. And I know now that Christina is obsessed with your nephew, with killing him to take him away from you and from Helena, the way she feels Helena took herself away from Christina. That is her newest obsession. You and your deputies have hurt her, shot her, burned her with silver. She is even more deranged than when this all began. I'm afraid the consequences will be… grave, for some," Artie said, meeting her eyes sadly.

"What did she see?" Myka asked, worried about David, about her sister, about her friends.

"There are too many possibilities for it to be of any use," Artie said, waving a hand dismissively and pulling himself up into a sitting position. Dr Calder returned at that point and told him off for moving without assistance.

"I was bitten by a vampire, Vanessa. On my neck. I can move perfectly well," he grumped, and Dr Calder merely smiled. Myka smiled, too. These two, for all their differences, made a cute couple. Artie glared at her, and she grinned. A smile tickled at the edges of his mouth, and he turned away, the bandage on the side of his neck clearly visible under his pyjamas.

"Did she hurt him badly?" Myka asked, and Dr Calder nodded.

"He would have died if he was human. She couldn't drink his blood, however, so she just beat him and left him to die," Dr Calder said darkly.

"I'm so sorry," Myka said. This really was all her fault.

"It's not your fault, Myka. This vampire has to be dealt with, and we have a unique set of circumstances and people around here who might actually be able to do that. Have faith in yourself. You might be able to pull this off, if you watch over each other," Artie said gravely.

Myka nodded. There didn't seem to be anymore for her to do or say, here, so she said her goodbyes and headed back to her house, finding Tracy and Sameen cuddled together watching David play with his Lego Star Wars figures. They looked really cute, all three of them, and Myka leaned on the doorjamb as she took it in. These people, strange though they all undoubtedly were, they were her family. Sameen was new to that, sure, but then so was Myka. She was still at a loss as to how to deal with Warren Bering's untimely death, and that would take its own time to figure out, but she felt lucky to be standing here with even two people she could call her own blood, her own family.

"Hey boss. Watcha doin'?" Pete asked, from behind her. He was stuffing his face, as usual, with some sort of cooked meat and pickle sandwich creation.

"Nothing. Just taking a good look," Myka said quietly, and he came to stand next to her.

"I get that, Ma'am. Miss my own family, I have to admit. It's been a while," he said, looking thoughtful.

"Why don't you go see them?" she asked, wondering why she'd never heard him talk about his family before.

"It was tough when I realised I was a shifter. Must have come from my dad, and he died when I was little. So my Mom didn't really know what to do when she walked in on me changing into a bird. That was before I decided to stick with the dog form. I was trying out new things, and she was coming in to check I was asleep and there I was, naked then changing into a falcon and flying off. She didn't really believe it at first, thought it was a dream, I guess? But then… when she realised, she didn't know how to handle it, and then I left to go to the army, and we never really talked much, after."

"Maybe it's time to try," Myka suggested. "Family – it can be nice. I never really thought it could, but it can."

"Maybe," he said, and then Amanda came down from upstairs, and they all went into the back yard to play a thrown together attempt at softball that ended up in complete chaos due to the supernatural strength of most of the players. And the fact that at least one of them didn't know how to play softball.

Dinner was quiet but Myka felt a deep sense of contentment as she looked around the table at her makeshift family, at Sameen and her silence, always watching, rarely smiling, at Pete and his surreptitious hand-holding with Amanda, at Tracy and her watchful eye, always on David. It was something she cherished, now, this sense of belonging, and she wanted to keep it safe, to make sure that nothing came between them, that nothing hurt them.

She washed the dishes while Tracy dried, and Tracy asked her why she was so quiet.

"I keep getting these warnings, that something's gonna happen soon, with Christina. I'm worried. You need to keep an extra close eye on David, okay? Don't let him out of the house after dark, and make sure he has something silver with him all the time, just in case," Myka said. Tracy nodded.

"If anyone gets to David, they're going to have to go through me first," she said, with a hint of a growl in her voice. Myka just nodded. They weren't going to hurt her nephew without a fight.

When the sun set, Helena came to the back yard, and Myka felt something inside of her shift, subtly. It was just like the first night, except that this time Myka wasn't falling-down drunk. But there was that same sense of possibility, of change on the horizon, as she looked at the black-clad figure of the vampire she loved.

"Good evening, my love," Helena said, and her voice was a quiet whisper against Myka's skin.

"Hey," Myka said, smiling crookedly as she remembered the night before. Helena was by her side and kissing her, then, in between blinks, and she could distinctly feel fangs against her lips as they kissed.

"Someone's feeling frisky tonight," Myka said in a murmur.

"Only when I'm with you, my love," Helena said, with a smile. It was a strange look, still, on her face, but Myka loved it. She took a deep breath, however, and told Helena what Artie had said earlier.

"I believe we should patrol again, my love. Be on the lookout for Christina and James, to keep the town's children safe. Do you agree?" Helena asked.

"I think that's the best thing we can do in the circumstances," Myka said. They went inside and Pete and Sameen agreed to drive around the south side of town while Myka and Helena patrolled the north side. Tracy and Amanda stayed at the house to keep watch on David.

It was quiet for an hour or so after they all went on patrol, until Leena's voice came over the radio.

"Sheriff. We've just had a call. There's a fire – I think your house is on fire."


	23. Chapter 23

_Christina and MacPherson make their final move. They have David, and they're quite happy to kill and mutilate little kids. Myka, Helena and the gang try to save the boy and stop the vampires from hurting anyone else._

* * *

Leena's voice was calm, and somehow it helped Myka to remain calm. She acknowledged the call and called Helena a few seconds later on her cell.

"Helena, my house. It's on fire. It has to be Christina and James. We need to get there, to help David," Myka said, and she heard a whooshing sound that she assumed was Helena running at top speed before the line went dead. She had already turned the car around, nearly wiping out an SUV coming the opposite way. She made it to the house in less than 3 minutes. The flames were visible from the north end of town. She could hear the fire service's sirens, but it was clear that they were not going to be able to save the house – already, the flames were eating through the roof and…

She hoped no-one was in there. She was out of the car before it had really stopped moving, her gun in her hand and her silver spray in the other. She already had silver chains near all of her pulse points; she had done that as soon as she left the house earlier. She ran around the side of the house to the back, watching as the porch swing fell in a gust of flame and black smoke.

"Myka!"

It was Tracy, her nostrils black with soot and a blanket around her shoulders. Her face was bruised and misshapen - it looked like her cheekbone was fractured. Pete and Sameen had made it to the house before Myka; Pete was standing next to Amanda, who was holding her ribs as if she, too, was injured. Pete's arms were around her shoulders and he was looking at her in concern. Sameen was standing behind Tracy, a shotgun in one hand and what looked like a silver glove on her other hand.

"They took David. Helena went after them. We couldn't stop them," Tracy rasped out.

"Okay," Myka said, looking at Tracy carefully. "Are you okay, Trace? Do you need to go to hospital?"

"No," Tracy said, in a voice that verged on a growl. "I need to find my son."

Myka nodded, turning just in time to see the structure of the house clearly, highlighted by the overwhelming brightness of the fire, just before it collapsed in on itself. Something in her broke, then. This was the first place she'd ever really felt at home. The place she'd fallen in love, the place where she'd discovered her new family. She drew in a shallow breath, taking a second to calm herself, to slow her thoughts, to focus on what was important. There would be time to grieve later.

Now she had to save her nephew and put an end to Christina Wells, one way or another.

"Did you see what way they went?" Myka asked, and Tracy was answering her when her cell rang. It was Helena. She picked up and froze when she heard an English voice that wasn't Helena's.

"Sheriff Bering. I have your nephew and I have your lover. Christina is most eager to spill the boy's blood. I suggest you get here before that happens."

He barked out an address, an abandoned house near the outskirts of town. Myka called out to Pete and Sameen and ran back to her car. Pete followed in his squad car with Amanda, while Tracy and Sameen had jumped into Myka's car. No-one spoke, but there was an intensity in the air that spoke of violence, of death to come.

The house was boarded up, an old cabin that some of the local kids sometimes used to drink and take drugs and do the other things that kids did in abandoned buildings. Sameen made a small gesture as they climbed out of the car that Myka interpreted to mean she was going round to the left side of the house, so Myka took the right, Tracy close behind her, while Pete and Amanda followed Sameen. Myka heard a small sound beside her as Tracy transformed into her part-were form. As she rounded the side of the house, she saw Helena first, her skin glowing whitely in the darkened back yard. She appeared to be chained to a post of some sort. She was alive; Myka could feel that. Plus, she was pretty sure that vampires dissolved, or something, when they died. She waited for a second before stepping forward, her gun out and moving.

"Sheriff. Welcome," James MacPherson said, appearing suddenly to her right, near Helena, standing with a struggling figure in his arms. Myka couldn't make out who it was for a moment, but then it became clear. It was Claudia Donovan. How had she come to be here?

"Let her go," Myka said immediately. "Take me. It's me who hurt Christina. Let her go."

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, but since my child here has refused to rejoin us, even with… extra motivation, I need to make a new companion," MacPherson said, before pulling Claudia's head to one side and sinking his fangs into her neck. Myka screamed something and tried to find a shot, tried to do something, but she couldn't stop him. He was draining Claudia to death. Myka holstered her gun and ran forward, barely noticing the blurring of the yard around her, and sprayed silver into his face. She figured it shouldn't harm Claudia, or at least not yet. But it could and did hurt MacPherson. He screamed, a high-pitched noise that sounded wrong coming from a man's throat. He dropped Claudia and clawed at his eyes, and something in Myka rejoiced in his pain. This man had caused so much death, so much anguish, and he didn't care. She stepped forward again, spraying the silver deliberately into his open mouth, watching his flesh melt and run, and a dark and thick _something_ oozed up in her chest, filling her with an intense pleasure.

"Myka. MYKA!" It was Helena's voice, and it snapped her out of her reverie. She left the squirming vampire and moved to Helena, pulling off the silver chains that were tying her to a thick post. Helena's skin was smoking, and she let out a choked cry as Myka removed the silver chains that had adhered to her flesh.

"She can be brought back," Helena choked out, blurring to Claudia's side. "There is still a spark. Should I do it?" she asked Myka urgently.

"I… I don't know if she'd want that," Myka stuttered, looking at the fallen figure of Claudia Donovan, her face a bluish white in the near-blackness of the abandoned property. She thought for a moment, then made a decision.

"Do it," she said, suddenly. Helena wasn't a monster, or at least any more of a monster than a lot of the people Myka had met during her life. Claudia could live, in a different form, but she would live. She might not thank Myka for this, but she would live.

Myka left Helena kneeling over Claudia's prone form and went to James MacPherson, whose face was dissolving in a bloody foam. Sameen had somehow managed to turn him over and cuff him, and he was making a bubbling noise that sounded like he was attempting to scream through a mouthful of syrup. Myka fought down the urge to vomit.

"Where is David?" she asked him. "Where is Christina?"

The noises he made in response were not even vaguely recognisable. Myka stood up and looked around with her 'other' sense, finding Pete, Amanda and Tracy looking around in the woods nearby, all in their animal forms.

"Sameen, will you chain him to the post? I want him under arrest and in our cells tonight," she said grimly, and the small woman nodded before dragging the prone man across the yard effortlessly.

Myka looked a little further afield with her mind and came into contact with David's mind, suddenly, and they connected with what felt like an audible click.

 _"David, are you okay?"_ she asked, and she felt his mental shrug.

 _"I'm a little bored, Aunt Myka. This girl is sick. She doesn't make sense_ ," he said.

 _"What do you mean, kid? Did she hurt you?"_

 _"No, she didn't hurt me. I mean her mind is all messy, like someone put a spoon in it and swirlied it around like an ice cream."_

His thought was accompanied by a clear mental image of rippling ice cream. Myka's breath stuttered in her lungs. David could hear Christina's thoughts. He was so strong he could hear a vampire's thoughts. If anyone ever found out – he would be dead before he could open his mouth. Him and anyone else with any sort of familial link to him or Tracy.

 _"Where are you, David?"_ she asked, and he sent her a picture of his surroundings. It wasn't far from where Helena had described her sleeping place a while back, near a lightning-struck oak. Myka had taken a photograph of that oak when she moved here. She'd spent days waiting for the right conditions, right before it rained. The sky was black behind and the tree bark was stark white, the branches reaching up blindly like hands, seeking the light. She'd had it framed and put it on her bedroom wall. Her bedroom wall was gone, now. Her home, everything she owned. All gone. She gritted her teeth and focused on the present.

"Guys, follow me," she said, and Sameen and the weres followed her immediately, their supernatural senses letting them hear her even from deep in the woods. Helena stayed behind, still feeding her own blood to Claudia. Helena would have to bury the girl, Myka remembered, before she could do anything else. Bury her so she could rise again as a vampire.

" _Jesus,_ " she whispered to herself, but her mind was on Christina, on David – on getting him safe. She arrived at the spot David had shown her, her gun out and her other hand holding the silver spray that had proved so effective in her previous encounter with Christina. The girl vampire was wandering around a small clearing in the woods, her dress and skin bright white against the almost complete blackness between the trees. David was tied to a tree but his bonds didn't look particularly tight. Christina was barefoot, her back to them, muttering to herself as she walked around aimlessly. Myka moved carefully across the clearing to her nephew, untying him quickly and gesturing to Tracy to take him. Tracy grabbed him up in her arms, her eyes shining, emeralds against her sleek fur.

"He's my human," Christina said suddenly, turning to look at them. Her face was pocked with half-healed wounds; probably from being shot by Sameen. One eye was missing.

"He's my nephew," Myka said. "You can't have him, Christina. I'm sorry."

"But I need to kill him. You burned me and my mother fixed you!" the little girl spat, suddenly infuriated.

"She doesn't want to hurt you," Myka said, trying to make her tone gentle.

"She left me," Christina hissed.

 _"She's sad,"_ David said, suddenly, in Myka's head. _"She's like a baby. All she knows is that her mom left her."_

Christina was still pacing around, her tiny white dress swirling around her.

"My mother saved you, but she left me. I have to kill you now, Sheriff, and the fairy boy, and then she'll come home to me," the girl said, with a strange gurgle in her voice. It was as if she was suppressing a sob and a giggle at once. Myka had time to raise up her gun and fire a shot, but then the girl was on her, her teeth in Myka's neck, and she somehow had Myka's hands immobilised; she couldn't reach her silver spray and her gun was gone. It was hurting, burning Christina to touch Myka – she had silver chains around her neck and wrists, but the girl was so insane that she didn't react to the smell of her own flesh burning, to the incredible pain it must have been causing. The girl was dragging her away, using Myka's body as a human shield so that the others couldn't shoot her again. Myka felt the familiar sensation of her blood draining, but instead of being pleasurable as it was with Helena, it was painful; it was too much – she could tell that she was dying. Her thoughts were becoming vague. She managed to project a thought to David – _I love you both, kid – tell your mom_ – but then she was sinking into darkness and cold.

"No, Christina. Not her. Please…"

Helena's voice was raw with anguish. Myka felt the fangs pulling back, cutting into her even more as Christina drew away to speak. She remembered being taught first aid when she was younger, and being told to never take a knife out of a stab victim. "Cuts on the way out, too," their moustached instructor had said, gravely. She figured that went for fangs, too. It hurt like hell.

"You love her more than you love me. I have to, Mummy," the little girl said. Myka couldn't see, she could only hear, but she could hear Tracy running, the strange half-lope she had adopted when she changed, Pete and Amanda flanking them, making sure that the girl couldn't hurt David. She hoped they made it to safety.

"I love her and I love you, Christina. I don't love either of you more. I have always loved you, my darling girl," Helena said, and her voice was throbbing with anguish.

"You left me!" the little girl screamed, and Myka felt her heart lurch in sympathy with the girl's pain.

"I had to," Helena said, her tone beseeching. "You and James kept hurting people. I knew it was wrong, and I had to stop," she said.

"You left me, Mummy," Christina said again, and it was clear that she was crying.

"I didn't have a choice," Helena said, and Christina screamed with rage.

"You left me, and now she has to die!" she screamed, and the teeth were at Myka's throat again. She threw another thought out into the ether – _love you, Helena_ – and gave up. She was so tired…

The noise that came next was a harsh one, wood striking flesh, wood striking wood, and a scream. Helena's scream. Pure anguish, despair. And then a splashing noise, and something was raining down on Myka, filling her mouth and nose and then she was floating away on a sea of red, thick and sweet.

* * *

 _Sorry for the cliffhanger - hopefully won't be too long for the next part. Only a couple of chapters left, I think._


	24. Chapter 24

_The aftermath of Christina's attack_

* * *

 _Three months later_

Myka put her hat on over her curls carefully, wincing slightly at the sunlight that burned her skin, still. Summer was gone and with it, the oppressive heat and humidity that had her sweating out half her body's water content before breakfast. She still used a couple of bottles of sunscreen a week, however.

It was Monday and it was her turn to take David to school before her shift. The night before had been the last night of this month's full moon and Tracy and Sameen were God knows where, out there in the depths of the woods with their pack.

"Aunt Myka," David piped up from next to her. "It's time for school. I'm gonna be late!"

"Okay, buddy, whatever you say," she said, tipping her hat to him. He giggled. She had grown to love that sound.

She dropped the boy off, waving and smiling as he ran eagerly to the door of the elementary school. His teacher loved him and his gift had given him a sensitivity and strength that drew other children to him. It was in moments like this, however, that Myka loved him the most – when he was just a child, grinning and running around like an idiot.

She drove through the small town slowly, waving lazily at those she knew well, and keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. There had been precious little of that, however, since the thing with Christina and Myka's announcement of a new vampire deputy. She arrived at the station and found a cup of steaming coffee along with an everything bagel in a paper bag. She ate quickly, hungry as she usually was these days.

"Good morning Sheriff," Mrs Frederic intoned, and Myka looked up with a calm smile. It had been a while since anyone had sneaked up on her, even someone as incredibly sneaky as the Mayor. She had actually heard the woman open the main door to the station, which put paid to Myka's belief that she materialised from the ether like a house elf.

"Good morning, Ma'am," she said, suppressing the urge to stand up and salute. She put it down to all the time she was spending with ex-military types.

"Are you well, Sheriff?" the Mayor asked, sitting down as Leena magically appeared with a cup of steaming coffee and a plateful of cookies.

"Very," Myka said honestly.

"And there have been no... unexpected effects?" Mrs Frederic asked delicately.

Myka shrugged.

"Nothing too strange," she said, "but Drs Ludwig and Calder have me under close watch. Not to mention Dr Cho. I'm being well observed, I would say," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"That is good news," Mrs Frederic said, and to Myka's surprise, she actually appeared to be relieved.

"I suppose this has never happened before?" Myka asked, and Mrs Frederic tilted her head, seemingly thinking about how much to tell her.

"You are aware that you have a relative, a distant cousin of sorts, in Louisiana?" Mrs Frederic asked, and Myka nodded.

"She, too, imbibed a large quantity of vampire blood at one time, but she had not, at that point, formed any sort of blood bond with a vampire, so it appears that it didn't have the same effect as it apparently did on you. This is why the doctors are keeping such a close eye on you. You are an anomaly and we do not like anomalies, Sheriff," Mrs Frederic said almost sternly. Myka smiled.

"I've been an anomaly all my life, Madame Mayor," she said with a shrug. "Why change now?"

The ghost of a smile chased across Mrs Frederic's lips and disappeared. She stood to leave, nodding at Myka cordially.

"Mrs Frederic?" Myka said, impulsively, and the woman raised an eyebrow.

"What... what are you?" Myka blurted.

Mrs Frederic smiled enigmatically, and Myka sighed. She hadn't really expected an answer. She looked down for a second and when she looked up, the woman was gone.

Myka's job at the station had become a lot quieter since things with Christina Wells and James MacPherson had been stopped in their violent rampage. MacPherson was in custody, being held in Jackson until his trial. Helena was planning to testify, to say that MacPherson was mainly responsible for Christina's rampage. At the very least, he could have mitigated the amount of death by taking control of the child vampire. It was unclear whether Helena herself would be censured for making Christina into a vampire in the first place, but according to Helena she was likely only to be fined for turning Christina and for killing her. Vampire deaths had a monetary penalty, apparently. An elegant solution for a society of immortals, rather than losing more lives, Helena said.

Myka packed up for the day and after checking that David was safe at home with Tracy and Sameen, drove to Abigail Cho's house. She had a receptionist now; her practice had expanded quite a bit following all of the death and mayhem caused by Christina Wells and James MacPherson, not to mention that caused by Sally Stukowski. Tracy had a regular appointment, as did Sameen, who had, after a month of nightmares, had a quiet conversation with Helena in the early hours of one morning. She'd made her first appointment that same day.

"Hey, Myka," Abigail said as her new receptionist (a human – Myka had checked) showed Myka in and made them both coffee.

"Hey," Myka said, with a crooked smile.

"How are you feeling?" Abigail asked, and Myka shrugged.

"I feel fine, really. Just… adjusting."

"Yeah, I get that," Abigail said, nodding. After some testing by Artie, it had become clear that she was not entirely human either. She was an empath, her gift similar to Myka's except that she read emotions alone, in a much purer way than Myka did.

"Are you ready?" Abigail asked, and Myka nodded. She lay on the couch, taking off her hat and boots and wriggling until she got comfortable. Abigail turned on some background noise – sounds of rain and waterfalls and soft soothing music – until Myka was completely relaxed and ready to revisit the night everything had changed. Again.

* * *

"No, Christina, please! Not her," Helena had pleaded, and Myka couldn't see her, but she could hear the anguish and horror in the vampire's voice. That voice that she loved so much, that velvety soft, rich voice that had started her real awakening to who she was and to the world around her. Myka felt pain, physical and emotional, so strong that it ripped through her, tears streaming from her eyes. She was so sad that she had to leave. She loved Helena so much. She tried to say that she was sorry but her lips wouldn't frame the words. She was just glad that David was safe. She called out to him, saying that she loved him, and she knew he'd heard her. She threw a last thought out to her vampire, wishing for once that she could hear Helena's mind, and then she let herself drift away. She stopped fighting, and the sea of red swallowed her up.

When she woke again, she felt a sense of relief and also a small sense of disappointment. She had been ready to die; ready to have this all end. She pushed that thought aside and tried to reconnect herself with her senses. The first noise almost deafened her. It was so loud. And it was so bright. It hurt her eyes and her skin, and she whimpered a little, hearing people talk distantly.

"She's blistering. She needs to get out of the sun," said a voice she recognised but couldn't place.

"Her ears are bleeding. We need to get her somewhere away from noise as well as light," Dr Calder said urgently.

"I know where she can go," Tracy said, and a few moments later Myka felt herself placed inside an almost airless space, a silent and completely dark space, and she relaxed her body, finding another body next to her. At first she thought it was Helena, but it couldn't be the cool body of her vampire; it felt almost warm to her. She slipped away into sleep as her pain lessened.

The next time she woke it was quieter and darker, but it was still loud to her. She could hear thunderous thumps of heartbeats in the room and outside of it. She didn't know where she was or why she was even alive. Surely even vampire blood couldn't have saved her this many times? She tried opening one eye but the light, slight though it was, was too painful. She closed it again quickly.

"Sleep, my love," Helena said, her hands soothing Myka's brow. They weren't cool anymore, and Myka couldn't process that. Something had happened to her Helena, but she was so tired, she just drifted off, feeling the vampire pull her close, wrapping her body around Myka's longer one. "I love you, my darling," Helena said, and Myka let the whisper carry her away again.

The first time she woke up for real, it was sundown. She could feel it. Her eyes opened and she looked around the rapidly darkening room, wondering why it didn't hurt anymore to open them. The sound was still thunderous; there was no-one in the room with her but there were others in the house and their voices and their breathing and their heartbeats – even the swishing of the blood in their veins – it was all deafening. She took a deep breath and concentrated on building another shield, this time a shield against what she was hearing, a shield made entirely of her own willpower. After a few moments, the noise abated – or rather her awareness of it faded enough to allow her to relax a little. She heard a noise from behind her and suddenly Helena was there.

"You're awake!" Helena said, her tone surprised, and Myka looked up, seeing the vampire for the first time in… well, she didn't know how long, but Helena was standing there and Myka had never expected to see her again. She sat up gingerly and extended a hand to Helena, pulling her on to the bed. She put a hand on Helena's shoulder, letting her hand slide round to the back of her neck and into her hair, before leaning forward to kiss her gently. Helena's lips felt warm. Myka relished the sensation before breaking away and looking at Helena closely. The vampire was smiling widely.

"I have missed you so much," she murmured, her hands on Myka's face, on her neck, in her hair.

"Where have I been? What happened, Helena?" Myka asked, her face screwed up in confusion. "It's all such a blur."

"You… Christina was killing you, darling. She had almost drained all of your blood. She was quite demented, in the end. Worse than I had ever seen her before. As she was biting you, the silver chains you were wearing – they were burning her skin. It must have been agonising. Her skin was smoking but she still carried on. In any case, the idea of your death was unacceptable to me. I had brought a stake and a mallet just in case I was forced to kill James, and I… I used it on her. I killed her, and because of your position, you swallowed a great deal of her blood," Helena explained, and it dawned on Myka, then.

"Am I… a vampire?" she asked, appalled as she remembered that Helena's skin felt warm to her, that light burned her, that her senses had increased exponentially.

"No, you're not a vampire," Helena said carefully. There was a distinct 'but' hanging in the air.

"I'm not a vampire. But I am different, right?" Myka asked, and Helena nodded solemnly.

"Dr Calder and Dr Ludwig have been keeping an eye on you. You're not a vampire. They think that if you were entirely human you would have become a vampire after taking in the amount of blood that you did. But your fairy heritage has in some way fought off the vampirism. You are now something else, something in between, we think. The doctors will be able to explain it more eloquently, I would imagine," Helena said, and Myka nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said, and Helena tilted her head quizzically.

"For what, my love?" she asked, and Myka raised a hand to her face.

"I'm sorry that you had to kill her," she said, and Helena's eyes began to fill.

"I should have killed her long ago. But I couldn't, not until she – she almost took you from me. I almost let you die, Myka, and I can never forgive myself for that," she said, and her bloody tears were running down her face in earnest, now.

"I forgive you, Helena. I understand. If it were David? And he's not even my kid! I don't know if I could do it. That you did it for me… I don't know how to begin to thank you," Myka said.

Helena fell forward into Myka's arms and let herself go, sobbing for the daughter she saved, the daughter she should have let die. Myka held her, marvelling at how warm she felt, kissing her hair and rubbing her back as she sobbed.

"I love you, so much," Myka whispered, and Helena pulled her even closer.

A long time later, Helena cleaned her face and Myka accompanied her downstairs to meet with her family. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, or close to death, or whatever the hell she had been since Christina's attack.

Sameen, Pete, Tracy, Amanda and David were all sitting in Helena's living room watching the huge television on the wall, and it took them a moment to realise that Myka was there, but when they did there was a roar of noise that made Myka's head hurt. They surrounded her, a riot of warmth and smiles and hugs and tears and it was a while before everything settled down enough for Myka to make sense of a word that anyone was saying.

Eventually she managed to work out that she had been asleep for over a week, the larger part of which she had spent in Helena's hidey-hole behind the false wall in her bedroom, with a switch flipped to allow air in since Helena didn't need to breathe and Myka did.

Dr Ludwig, the tiny doctor who had assisted her when Sally Stukowski had attacked, had joined with Dr Calder to look after Myka and keep her alive through her transition into… well, whatever she was, now.

"What did they do?" she asked curiously, and the others exchanged looks before looking away. Myka sighed and let her shields down, and snapped them back up right away.

"I've been drinking blood? Are you kidding me?" she yelled, completely sickened.

"It's all right, darling," Helena said soothingly. "The doctors are fairly certain that you won't need to do that anymore. It was just helpful in feeding the vampire side while you were dealing with the change.

"Fairly certain?" Myka asked, her voice much higher than normal.

"Almost 100%" Helena said, and Myka wasn't entirely sure she believed her, but she nodded anyway.

"It's okay, Mykes," Pete said. "You didn't, like, try to eat our faces or anything. Well, apart from Shaw's, but she did get way too close, so it was kind of her own fault."

Myka looked around at them, her family surrounding her, and tried to work out if Pete was joking or not. Sameen's face was straight and didn't seem to have been eaten any time recently, so it might just have been a joke. She decided she preferred not to know.

"How's Claudia?" she asked, suddenly, turning to Helena.

"She is well. Or as well as can be expected. Leena, the witch from your station? She is assisting Claudia, helping her temper her… appetites," Helena said delicately. Myka took a moment to absorb that before her eyes widened.

"Claudia and Leena?" she whispered, and Helena nodded. "Wow," she said, and wondered whether Leena would live to tell the tale, given that, as Helena put it, new vampires had indiscriminate appetites of all kinds and were unlikely to be gentle in sating said appetites. But then, Leena was a fairly advanced witch, from what Myka could tell, and that might make all the difference.

"What about MacPherson?" she asked darkly, her mind turning to the reason for Claudia's change.

"He is imprisoned in your silver box, awaiting transport to Jackson for trial," Helena said, and Pete nodded.

"Trial by whom?" Myka asked.

"We worked out a compromise with the King and his people," Pete said, suddenly all professional. "He's going to stand trial for murder, accessory to murder and for turning a human without consent. The court in Jackson will liaise with the vamps to decide what happens to him. They'll be paying reparations to the town at the very least, Mrs Frederic says, for the loss of its children. They've already paid for a construction crew to start rebuilding your house, Mykes. They were very insistent about that. I don't think they like the bad press that the murders have been getting, and they want to keep us quiet," he finished.

"Okay," Myka nodded, thinking all of that through. If she were to be perfectly honest, she wished she'd killed James MacPherson that night, but he deserved to suffer longer for all that he'd done, so perhaps this was the more just way to do it. It was unlikely that the King or whoever would let him live after what he'd done. From what Helena had said about the man, he was likely to be unrepentant anyway, and would want to continue killing indiscriminately and making humans into vampires whenever he felt like it. He needed to die and that was just the way it had to be. Myka wasn't normally an advocate of the death penalty, but when it came to immortal beings who were set on being the master race and killing all of the humans – hell yeah, she was fine with it. Kill them and burn them and salt the earth.

They ate a while later, Myka being extremely relieved to find that she was still human enough to want solid food, although she did have a craving for rare beef rather than the admittedly delicious salmon teriyaki that Tracy had put together. When they finished eating, David attached himself to Myka and Helena like a limpet, squirming his way in between them and managing to fall asleep with his feet in Myka's face. It was, aside from the smell of feet, incredibly pleasant. They had all fallen into a companionable silence after catching up on what had been happening during Myka's absence, and were watching some sort of mind-numbing ballroom dance competition that Helena was trying to pretend she didn't like, while watching avidly and tensing when her favourite couple's scores were called out. Myka hid her smile behind the kid's feet – at least they were good for something.

A little later Amanda and Pete retired, and Tracy and Sameen went shortly after, dragging a protesting David along with them. Myka and Helena were alone, and Myka suddenly felt nervous.

"What's wrong, my darling?" Helena asked quietly.

"I was just… do I have fangs, Helena?" she blurted, and Helena smiled.

"No, my love. Not that I've noticed, in any case. If you had, they would have extended when you were fed the small amounts of blood that we fed to you during your convalescence. You do not have fangs. You are not a vampire, but you do now share some traits with vampires. Strength, speed, enhanced senses. Your heart still beats but you are colder. I don't know what that will mean for the long-term; I would imagine that Drs Calder and Ludwig will want to speak to you and observe you for at least a while. The changes you've undergone seem to have given you most of the strengths and none of the weaknesses of a vampire," Helena said, and there was something a little envious in her eyes at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Helena. I… can I go out, during the day? I remember my skin blistering…" Myka said hesitantly.

"The doctors believe you will be able to, yes. You might have to wear longer sleeves for a while until your skin gets used to the sunshine," Helena said, and Myka relaxed a little. She had worried that she would never be able to walk in daylight again; never be able to feel the sun on her skin.

"Thank you for letting everyone stay here," Myka said after a few moments of silence.

"They are your family, now, Myka. Which means that they are mine. Assuming that you haven't had a change of heart now that you have been changed," Helena said, slightly nervously.

"I haven't had a change of heart, Helena. I love you and I want to be with you. I don't know how that's going to go, given that you're immortal and I'm not, but we'll take things as they come," Myka said, and Helena smiled at her, a hint of fang showing.

* * *

"That's great, Myka. You remembered a lot more, that time." Abigail's voice broke into her thoughts, and she was startled to realise that she was in the therapist's office and not on her way upstairs with Helena.

"I felt like I was really there," Myka said, wonderingly, and Abigail smiled a little shyly.

"I'm getting the hang of this, I think – guiding you to let your emotions through, to remember every detail. Even your nephew's feet," Abigail said with what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Myka smiled back at her.

"Same time next week?" Abigail asked, and Myka nodded.

"Thank you, Abigail," she said, and it was heartfelt. A lot of her memories of the days after she woke were fragmented and difficult to access. She hadn't been prepared for the change in her physical state. She and Helena had broken the bed, later that night, because Myka was as strong as Helena, now. She'd been holding on to the headboard and she tightened her grip just a little when Helena… well. It had splintered, in any case, and Helena had ordered a new one the following day. Myka was used to being different, but this new physical power - it was a heady feeling, and a frightening one.

* * *

 _Almost done, now. 1 chapter to go, possibly with a short epilogue. Thank you all for reading :)_


	25. Chapter 25

_Otherwise known as 'The End' of this little fanfic of mine. Thank you all so much for reading. Myka starts to come to terms with the changes in her life._

* * *

Myka headed back to the station after her session with Abigail to check on her new vampire deputy. Helena had protested Myka's decision to allow Claudia to go back to work so quickly after becoming a vampire. In this particular case, however, Myka had gone against Helena's advice. Leena and Kelly had worked several seriously complicated pieces of magic to help Claudia keep control over her emotions and appetites, and the girl was proving to be a serious deterrent to those in the town who had any designs on causing trouble. More than a few fistfights had spontaneously dissipated just at the mention of Claudia's name, or so Myka had heard.

"Hey, Claud," Myka said, as she entered the station and took off her hat, smoothing down the curls carefully. She was trying hard to do anything she could for Claudia – like the children who'd died, she was an innocent victim in all of this. She refused to speak to Helena at all, and spoke to Myka only because she had to, despite Leena's best efforts to the contrary.

"Boss," Claudia said, shortly, without looking up. She was sitting on the edge of her desk fiddling with some papers. She was much paler now, her skin blue-tinged, and her hair would stay in its current style for eternity, according to Helena. A short bob with a purple stripe through it. At least it was pretty, Myka thought.

"Have you eaten today, Claud?" Myka asked, concerned at Claudia's pallor.

"Not yet, Ma'am," Claudia said automatically, and Myka raised an eyebrow.

"You should know better than that, Deputy," she barked, and Claudia straightened up, suddenly.

"Yes, Ma'am," she said, and Myka took a deep breath.

"There's a supply of Tru Blood in the refrigerator," Myka said, and Claudia nodded. "I'll wait until you've filled up before I leave."

"Yes, Ma'am," Claudia said, backing away. "Thank you, Ma'am."

Myka watched her curiously as she practically ran to the kitchen. This wasn't the first time someone had responded to her that way when she was annoyed with them, since her change. She must remember to ask Helena about it. It might be something to do with her vampire half.

Claudia returned about five minutes later, apologising for keeping Myka, and assuring her that she'd drunk one bottle of Tru Blood already, and was halfway through another. Myka looked at her for a long moment and then nodded, and she was sure she wasn't imagining the relief on the young vampire's face when she did. It was strange. But then, what wasn't, these days?

She headed home, confident that Claudia wasn't going to eat any of the town's people in a fit of pique, and found Helena's house filled with her family.

 _"Hey, Aunt Myka,"_ David whispered in her head as she pulled up in the car. _"Hey, buddy,"_ she replied, sending him a wave of affection along with her words, and she headed inside to find Pete and Sameen in an intense car racing battle on the huge TV screen in the living room. She waved at everyone on her way past, heading straight to the kitchen where she could sense Helena's presence. Along with every other sense she possessed, that awareness of Helena had grown exponentially since her change into whatever the hell she was now.

Helena was stirring something in a pot on the stove, and Myka took a moment just to look at her. Her hair was unbound and she was wearing a white shirt with tan pants and knee-high leather boots. As always, Myka felt her heart warm within her at the sight. Part of it was her love for Helena, of course, but a lot of it was to do with their blood-bond, too. A bond that had doubled or perhaps tripled when Myka had imbibed so much of Christina's blood as she died. Christina had been Helena's child but also her vampire child, so their blood bond was something deeper than the normal bond between a vampire and their child. It was all so complicated that Myka couldn't keep it straight in her head.

Helena turned to smile at her, a predatory smile that made her shiver. No matter what else was happening, that thing – that unquantifiable thing between them – it hadn't changed.

"Good evening, my love," she said, her eyes wandering over Myka's body. Myka smiled.

"Hold that thought til a little later, honey," she said, in a mock-chiding tone. "We have family in the house."

"I shall pray that the King's workers finish your new home soon, then," Helena said dramatically. Myka grinned at her and, crossing the room, pulled Helena to her. She was surprised with how easy it was. If she'd tried to do that before her change, it would have been like trying to move a mountain.

"I missed you," Myka murmured, against Helena's lips.

"And I, you," Helena said, her customary response.

"You didn't even wake when I left," Myka said, with a fond smile.

"You may comment on the depth of my rest, darling, when the sun presses you into the ground as it does us mere vampires!" Helena retorted. Myka shrugged. It wasn't her fault she'd become some sort of hybrid being. She knew that Helena was envious of Myka's new abilities and strengths, but since Myka hadn't intended any of this, she refused to take responsibility for what she'd become. She already carried the responsibility of her father's death, Christina's death, Jeff Weaver's, and Claudia's transformation, along with the deaths of all the children Christina had killed since her arrival here. Myka simply refused to take responsibility for those things that weren't within her control. She'd been ready to die for David's sake and for Helena's sake. It was Helena's choice to kill Christina and that was hard enough for Myka to bear; to be the reason a mother killed her own daughter, no matter how monstrous, was a heavy burden to bear.

"Well, you looked cute, all cuddled up like a bear in the winter," Myka said lightly, kissing Helena gently on the temple.

"I did not," Helena said, huffing. She hated to be called cute.

"Sorry. You looked fierce like a bear ready to attack," Myka said, with a grin. "Is that better?"

"Somewhat," Helena allowed, with a raised eyebrow and a glare that could have turned the gods to stone. Myka just smiled.

They ate together with the rest of their little family, Pete and Amanda in attendance as always, and as it usually did, David's chatter soothed and quieted some of the concerns that Myka was carrying. At least here, at home with her family, she was loved and safe – if anywhere could be said to be safe.

Myka was washing the dishes, watching the grime and oil from the plates and cups and pans mixing with the washing liquid; it swirled around, strangely beautiful, rainbows painted on its surface. She wondered idly if that's what evil looked like; beautiful on the outside, like Christina, but rotten and maggoty and decayed at its heart.

"Myka?" A voice intruded into her thoughts, and she looked up to find Tracy looking at her in concern.

"I was calling you for, like, five minutes, sis. You doin' okay?" Tracy asked, picking up a dish towel to dry up some of the dishes. Myka didn't say anything for a few minutes, letting the dirty water drain away and refilling the sink with clean water and liquid.

"I'm processing," she said, eventually, and Tracy nodded.

"I get that. It's a lot to process. Everything has changed so much," Tracy said, looking off into space for a long moment. Myka realised after a second that it wasn't just her life that had changed, it was Tracy's, too. She had changed completely – she was a whole different species now, her son was a telepath, and she had lost her father, left her boyfriend and her home to move thousands of miles away.

"I'm sorry, Trace," Myka said, mentally kicking herself for not realising what Tracy was going through.

"No, Myka. Listen. I'm talking to Abigail, I'm getting used to all this. And honestly, despite all of the scary stuff that's happened, my life now is much better than the one I was living. I love Sameen so damn much, I can't even imagine my life without her. And David has a real family around him now. I didn't realise he had those abilities, but if I had, I would have taken him far, far away from Dad and from Kevin because god only knows what David heard, listening to their thoughts. But we're talking about you, now, Myka. Your life was already changing enough before I came into it. Falling in love with a woman who's a vampire? Then all this other stuff; us coming to live with you, the attacks, losing your home and then everything that's changed with you, physically, mentally? I can't even imagine how you're handling it half as well as you are," Tracy finished by putting her hand on Myka's arm, and with the touch came a wave of emotion that nearly knocked Myka over. Tracy was really concerned, and she really loved Myka; that was plain. Myka felt hot tears falling from her eyes, and when she saw the tinge of pink in the tear that landed on the plate she was washing, something inside her gave, tore open. She sank to her knees in the kitchen, Tracy's arms around her, and she cried her heart out for the home she had loved, that simple wooden building in which she had learned so much and loved so much in such a small space of time. She mourned for herself, for the woman she had been before all this death and destruction, for the human that she no longer was. Tracy held her gently, stroking her hair and repeating, over and over in her head and out loud, that Myka was loved. A minute or so later, David joined them, having heard Myka's mental distress. He kneeled behind Myka, reaching up to put his arms around her neck, and his emotions, his unwavering love, it knocked away the last barrier she'd put up, and she cried and let the pain go, released it so that it could heal instead of festering every time she looked at the plot of land on which her house had stood, every time she saw her skin glow in the dark, every time she saw Claudia look at her as if she was the devil incarnate. She let it go, and her family held her, let her cry, until she was so exhausted that Helena came and lifted her, effortless and graceful as always, and took her to bed.

* * *

She woke in the morning in what Helena had taken to calling their 'snug', because they could only snuggle together in there - the space originally having been intended for one occupant. Myka's body was entwined with Helena's, locked away from sound and light and other people. The lack of input to her senses was incredibly relaxing, and she often found that when she woke from sleeping here, she felt better than she did sleeping anywhere else. She allowed herself the indulgence of staying there for another ten minutes or so, enjoying the warmth of Helena's body and the silence of her mind. Myka made her way out carefully, lifting the heavy hatch as if it was nothing, looking down at Helena's sleeping form fondly before closing the hatch carefully and resetting all of the alarms and safeguards Helena had in place - including cutting off the air in case someone decided to set fire to Helena's house for some reason. It was unfortunate to have to think that way, but it was only sensible to plan for the worst, given the events of the last six months or so.

David was eating cereal at the breakfast bar in Helena's kitchen, half asleep, and he barely looked up when Myka arrived. Tracy was sitting in the window seat beside Sameen. They both smiled at Myka as she walked in, the expression looking odd on Sameen's face.

"How are you feeling this morning, sis?" Tracy asked, getting up and pouring her a cup of coffee without being asked. Myka smiled at her, a little awkwardly. She wasn't used to letting her emotions out in that sort of way, but the reminder of her otherness in the form of that tinge of blood in her tears – it had undone her control. It had been a while in coming, this breakdown of hers, she knew.

"I'm feeling better, thank you," she said carefully, and she reached out and touched Tracy's forearm gently, this time prepared for the rush of emotion, concern and love laced together. She squeezed her sister's arm lightly. "Thank you," she repeated, and this time she looked Tracy in the eye, and her sister nodded.

She was a little later to work than she would have preferred, but she didn't think anyone minded. Leena didn't bat an eye, simply approaching with a plate of breakfast foods and another coffee.

"Good morning, Sheriff," she said, quietly. She didn't leave, however, and Myka looked at her for a moment quizzically before indicating that Leena should sit down.

"What's going on, Leena? Is it Claudia?" Myka asked, before shovelling a pile of hash browns and scrambled eggs into her mouth in a manoeuvre that would have made Pete proud.

"I… I just wanted to say, thank you," Leena said, tentatively. It was unlike her; she didn't speak much, but when she did, it was with conviction.

"For what?" Myka asked quietly, after swallowing her food carefully.

"For Claudia. For saving her. For taking the blame for her change. For letting her hate you," Leena said, and Myka just nodded.

"MacPherson didn't give me much choice. It was either let Helena change Claudia, or let her die. And given that I'm dating a vamp, I didn't think it was a valid choice for me to say being a vampire was worse than death. I know Claudia probably thinks that, right now. And I'm sorry for that. But it is my fault she got pulled into this, Leena. She shouldn't have been involved at all – MacPherson chose her because he knew I cared for her." Myka stared at her food, which suddenly didn't look all that appetising, in the face of all of the guilt she carried. Leena reached over the desk and patted Myka's hand.

"Regardless of what you think, it's not your fault, Sheriff. MacPherson was the one who chose to hurt someone you cared about, and you did the best you could for her. She'll realise that soon enough," Leena said. Myka looked at her steadily for a long moment before nodding.

"I hope you're right, Leena. And thank you for all you're doing for her," Myka said. She realised the mistake in her wording almost right away, and Leena's blush should have reminded her to move her hand away, but she didn't do it in time and was bombarded with images of Leena and Claudia together, doing - well, everything Myka and Helena did in private, she figured. But she didn't need to see either Leena or Claudia like that. She put her face in her hands and concentrated furiously on her shields, her cheeks blazing with a mixture of embarrassment and spilled-over arousal from Leena. When she had re-established her shielding, she looked up and Leena was standing, looking panicked and as if she was trying to run in every direction at once. Myka couldn't help but laugh at the helpless look on Leena's face. After all of the negativity of the last months, a simple case of embarrassment was a relief. She and Leena only stopped laughing when Steve and Liam both came to check that they were okay because their laughter had grown hysterical.

The town was quiet and Myka allowed herself the afternoon off, telling Leena and the guys to contact her if anything serious came up. She went to the edge of town where there was a huge quarry, long since used up, but it had a pathway the whole way around. She took off her uniform shirt and hat and utility belt, locking everything up securely in the trunk of her car, before running around the quarry at full speed until she couldn't run anymore, her tank top soaked through with sweat. She could still sweat when she truly exerted herself. The trouble was, she couldn't really exert herself that much anymore, because everything physical came so easily to her. Hence the flat-out running in a remote spot where very few people ever came. If anyone had seen her, she wasn't sure how she would explain it. She wasn't a vampire; she wasn't a human. She was neither fish nor fowl and if a human caught sight of her otherness now, she might accidentally 'out' the whole supernatural community.

It was a while later when she headed home, and Tracy wasn't there, having gone to pick up David and take him to some sort of after school club. Pete was at the station and Amanda was off doing something for the were pack leader. It was just Sameen, or Shaw as she preferred to be called, sitting at the breakfast bar eating waffles. Myka couldn't think of a single time, other than the night she'd almost died, when she hadn't seen Sameen eating. Even that first night, she'd been eating a protein bar when she arrived in Myka's back yard and saw Tracy for the first time.

"Hey," Sameen said, by way of greeting, and Myka nodded at her. She put on a pot of coffee and sat next to Shaw, watching the coffee brew and bubble in the glass pot. It was relaxing. And being near Shaw was relaxing. Her thoughts were calm and she was never lingering in the past or the future. She was in the present, fully and completely, and compared to most humans, her mind was almost silent.

"Some change is good," Sameen said, after a few minutes of silence. "Like when I changed into a panther. I turned into – I _became_ \- what I always wanted to be, what I always knew I was. I was sick, when I was a kid. Little and skinny and I bruised easily. And then, when I hit puberty, I just got this rush, like power, like electricity. It was right here," she said, pressing her fingers into her sternum, and Myka nodded cautiously. "It burned and it tore the shit out of me. The first change – man, the hair. You don't realise, but it's like being pierced with needles from the inside out, a couple of million of them, and it burns. It burns like a motherfucker. And then your hips and your jaw and the fucking claws. Jesus. I thought I was dying. I thought I was melting or something. But when I stood up for the first time, when I hunted, when I felt the power of the body I had – it was like; this is the price. Change has a price, but it also gives you stuff. Like, I joined the Marines. I got to fight, to do what I felt like I was born to do. I got to be me, and it took me a long time to realise that. But change can be good."

She nodded at Myka, and Myka nodded back. It was definitely the most words she'd ever heard Sameen say at once. She thought perhaps it was the most Sameen had ever said in her life.

"Uh, thanks," Myka said awkwardly, and Sameen nodded again, avoiding her eyes, but she reached out and grasped Myka's forearm, and after a moment Myka grasped hers, in a sort of formal warrior handshake, or so it felt at that moment. She felt the lack of emotion in Shaw, but she also felt the huge strength that the woman held inside of her, and Myka was grateful for the "little shadowcat" and her presence in Myka's life and the lives of her family.

They drank coffee together in silence and, a little later, Sameen asked if she wanted to spar. Myka nodded. She still hadn't run off all of her energy. Fighting Shaw definitely took the rest of it, however. By the end of their sparring session, they were both bruised and battered. Myka had one broken finger and a fat lip, and Shaw had a spectacular and swollen black eye. They were both grinning, however. Myka's restless energy was definitely all used up, and later, as she sat in Helena's living room watching Game of Thrones with everyone (except David, who wasn't allowed to watch the 'gore and tit-fest,' as Pete called it) she drank whisky given from Sameen's private stash with the sense that she now belonged, in yet another way, to this little family, because her sort-of sister-in-law was now also a comrade-in-arms.

Helena remarked upon her injuries later that evening as they were getting ready for bed, but Myka just shrugged and smiled.

"Working out some kinks," was all she said, and Helena looked at her steadily for a moment before shrugging. She sat with her laptop, working on the next instalment of her space vampire series, and Myka pretended to read something else but she was really trying to read what Helena was typing.

"I can see what you're doing," Helena said.

Myka grinned.

"I can't help it, honey. I'm your number one fan," she said, and Helena rolled her eyes.

"Please. You haven't even read them, not really. I've never seen you with one of my books."

"You have no idea, Helena. I wore out two copies of each of those books in paperback. I have a couple of collector's editions in storage, but I hadn't got round to replacing and re-reading the paperbacks since I moved," Myka said.

Helena regarded her suspiciously over her glasses, and Myka had to resist the urge to giggle. The vampire looked so cute.

"Very well, then, _number one fan,"_ Helena said sarcastically. "Tell me what precipitated Elizabeth's move from DNA research to space travel."

Myka lifted an eyebrow. This was an easy one.

"She had already uncovered the gene that caused vampires to be vulnerable to UV radiation and discovered a cure, and her romance with the English professor had ended badly. She saw how the space programme was floundering because of lack of funding, and with vampires being now impervious to UV radiation as well as vacuum and lack of oxygen, she figured they were a cheap and easy way for humanity to travel into space. I can give you the names of the NASA officials she won over, the first vampire astronauts, and Elizabeth's children, if you like," Myka said smugly.

Helena stared at her.

"You really did read them? But you never even said – you just brushed it off, when I told you I'd written them," Helena said, her mouth open.

"What I said, my gorgeously insecure little vampire, was that I loved you so much, and then I made love to you until I passed out. I might not have gone into detail, but hell yeah, I read those books. My Dad hated them and refused to carry them in the shop. Even more of a reason for me to read them. And later, when vampires actually came out of the coffin, it all seemed like it was really possible, you know? So I read them all again, and honestly I have sort of been waiting for someone to announce that they'd cured you all of your UV problem," Myka said, pushing Helena's laptop out of the way and straddling Helena. She leaned down to kiss her vampire, but after a few minutes of what was fast becoming a precursor to energetic sexual activity, Helena pushed her away.

"No, Myka Bering. I am writing, and I will not allow you to interfere with my process again. I am, however, very impressed at your memory of my books, and I agree that you are probably my number one fan," Helena said sternly. Myka laugh-snorted.

"Why on earth are you laughing at that?" Helena asked, and Myka smothered a giggle.

"We have to get you reading some modern books," she said, before grabbing Helena's laptop and ordering her a copy of "Misery" to expand her literary horizons.

Myka dutifully went back to pretending to read and Helena resettled herself with her laptop and her glasses perched on the end of her nose. A few minutes later, however, the laptop was discarded with a growl and the sexual activity that Myka had been trying to initiate was back on. Myka distinctly heard Helena call her a 'minx' and a 'vixen' before she stopped listening, her mind on other things.

Her dream that night was vivid; colours and patterns swirled around everyone, as if their emotions and thoughts were leaving a trail behind them. Myka found herself standing in the back yard of Helena's house, soothing a baby boy who was teething. Samuel Peter Bering-Wells, her mind reminded her. She could hear David inside the house talking to his cousin, Christopher Bering-Wells, who was having an epic tantrum about his new Lego Star Wars toys.

It was easy for Helena, Myka mused to herself. She got all of the fun parts; she woke up, bathed the kids and put them to bed, but it was Myka that was Mom in daylight, Myka who occupied the kids during their waking hours. She wondered idly as she rocked little Sam how she'd been talked into this idea. She didn't regret the kids; not at all. But it didn't seem like a great idea, in retrospect. She felt like a single mother during the harder days. She knew that Helena was working hard on her DNA research, based on Myka's own DNA that was vampire and yet could withstand the sun. It was during the early stages of her research that she'd discovered something unusual in Myka's bloodwork, and after a consultation with Dr Calder and some of her old colleagues at the CDC, it became clear that although Myka wasn't fully vampire, she was fully immortal. Knowing that they could potentially be together for centuries, they had decided to have a family now, rather than waiting, in case Myka became unable to bear children at a later time. All of the doctors were confounded by her ability to bear children in the first place, since immortal beings like vampires couldn't usually bear children. Myka was powerless to explain it, but she went with it. Her children were, thus far at least, normal in every respect. There was still the chance that they might develop telepathy like Myka's, or perhaps even more unusual characteristics from their mother's vampire side, but nothing was certain. Especially when the 'father' was a shifter with no real knowledge about his own heritage.

Myka felt Helena awaken as the sun went down, and she sighed as she realised that Sam had just settled in time for his night-time Mom's arrival. Typical.

"Good evening, my love," Helena said, her customary greeting. Myka turned to look at her with a smile.

"Hey, honey," she said, leaning to kiss Helena, long and lingering, the sleeping baby between them. "I missed you," she said, afterwards.

"And I, you," Helena said, with a wry smile. She took Samuel from Myka's arms and brought him inside, picking up Christopher on the way, placing him effortlessly on her shoulders, the toddler giggling all the way.

"Hey, Aunt Mykes," David said, as they both stood watching Helena take the little ones upstairs. Myka felt a profound sense of contentment, knowing that her family were here, together, safe.

"This is real, you know," the kid said, and Myka nodded. "It's real if you let it be real. You'll see it all, soon, the future. Laid out in front of you, if you have the courage."

He didn't sound like David anymore, but Myka still trusted him, still believed him. She held his hand as she watched Helena run up and down the stairs, making Christopher jiggle around wildly. Whatever it took to get this, to get here, she wanted that. She wanted to feel like this, with a family and kids and Helena by her side, even if it was only in the dark. She didn't care what everyone thought about her, about them, a vampire and a half-breed having kids. This was real and it was meant to be, and it would be, if she had anything to do with it. Her sleeping mind drifted off into oblivion, not before she saw that David had transformed into an elderly, white haired gentleman in a white suit. Sheriff Myka Bering drifted off into the dark, content and loved.


	26. Chapter 26

_Epilogue_

* * *

The day after her potentially prophetic dream, Myka helped Tracy with the dishes after dinner while Helena and Pete played with David in the living room. After they'd finished with the dishes, Myka went to take out the trash, and she felt, rather than heard, something stirring in the bushes at the edge of the garden.

"You might as well come out," she said, in a normal tone of voice. Anything whose thoughts she couldn't hear would certainly be able to hear her from a long way away. She took a deep breath as a tall, thin man who appeared to be in his sixties stepped out of the brush. He was wearing white from head to toe, his hair glistening bright white, almost blinding in the dark of the garden. The man from her dream. Instead of being worried or intimidated, Myka felt soothed by his presence.

"Myka Bering," he said, by way of greeting, inclining his head gently. She nodded.

"And you are?" she asked, softly. This man didn't give her any sense that he was dangerous. Only that he was someone to be almost revered.

"My name is Niall. I am your great-grandfather," he said, and Myka gasped, a little hiccupping sort of noise that she didn't think she'd ever made before.

"My great-grandfather? How is that even…" she trailed off, almost laughing at herself as she realised that she'd almost just said the word 'possible' in relation to her own crazy life. Niall smiled.

"My son had a dalliance with a lady some years ago, and that lady was your grandmother. She didn't remember, afterwards. We can do that; confuse humans. A little like vampires and their glamour," he said, stepping forward gingerly. Myka noticed then that he was leaning heavily on a cane.

"My mom's mother?" she asked. She couldn't picture her father's mother sleeping with anyone. It was a miracle that her father had been born at all, in her opinion.

"Yes," the old man said, nodding. "My son, Fintan, seduced her. He believed himself in love. It was not the only time he did so," he said, with a sigh, and Myka deduced that this was a conversation the man had had more than once. "In any case, your mother was the result of their coupling. All issue from your mother's line have the potential to be more than human."

"Okay," Myka said, slowly. "So why are you here now, sir? Given that I found out a long while ago that I had fairy blood; to what do I owe the honour of this visit?"

He regarded her silently for a moment.

"Your nephew is tremendously powerful, and I have heard rumblings that the King of Mississippi might be interested in him. Not only that, but I believe he is interested in you, the half-fairy who is now become half-vampire. I am here to offer you my assistance, and to leave my daughter with you. She will be a guardian of a sort, for you and for David," he said, as if the matter was decided. Myka frowned.

"Why would you think that we need your help, sir?" she began, but he cut her off, holding up one hand.

"Please, my dear. Call me Niall. And this is Giselle, one of my daughters. She will be your guardian; yours and your nephew's, that is," Niall said, indicating a tall, willowy young woman with dark hair and eyes and pointed ears. Myka stared a little at that. Niall's might very well be pointed too, but they were hidden underneath his white hair.

"Myka, darling, are you all right?" came a voice from behind them. Giselle visibly tensed and Niall sighed.

"My dear, your vampire paramour must stay away from Giselle. Giselle's scent will be irresistible to her. It is not her fault, but if they are left alone I doubt your vampire will be able to resist killing her. Do you understand?" Niall asked, suddenly standing right in front of Myka, his eyes boring into hers. She nodded, shaken, and he looked at her for a moment longer before turning.

"Giselle, go," he said, and the fairy disappeared, between heartbeats. Myka stared again, but she was wondering when, exactly, she was going to realise that nothing was too outlandish to be real, even fairies with ears like a Vulcan who could disapparate.

"What about you?" she asked, looking at Niall in concern.

"I can mask my essence. My children don't have that ability, or at least not yet," he said.

"Okay," she said, nodding as if she understood. At that moment, Helena blurred across the back yard and stood in front of Myka, teeth bared.

"Who are you?" she growled at Niall, and Myka touched her arm gently.

"It's okay, honey. I think. This is my great-grandfather, apparently," Myka said, still trying to absorb the information herself. Helena turned to look at her, stepping back a little.

"You are a fairy?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"I am," he said proudly, and she sniffed, following her nose to the spot where Giselle had stood moments earlier. Helena's eyes were huge and her expression dreamy.

"Why can I not detect your scent?" she asked, and Niall smiled.

"I am old, vampire, and can mask my essence. What you can sense is my daughter. She is here to watch over my great-granddaughter and her nephew. She will avoid you, for obvious reasons," he said, and Helena nodded. Her eyes were returning to normal, and her expression was a little wary.

"Why do you come now, rather than before? You could have assisted with catching my daughter," Helena demanded.

"There is war in my lands. Giselle is all I can spare, and in the circumstances, she would have served only to make matters worse with two vampires on the rampage," he said levelly, his eyes unwavering on Helena's. She nodded eventually.

"I must go now, but if you need her, Giselle will be here, Myka Bering," Niall said, and he bowed before disappearing. Myka took a deep breath.

"I don't know why I'm even surprised by anything anymore," she muttered, under her breath, and Helena smiled at her.

"If we can't be surprised, what joy is there in life?" she asked, lightly, and the smile on her face lifted Myka's mood.

"I love you, vampire," Myka said, fondly. Helena kissed her gently.

"I know."

After that infuriating answer, she blurred back into the house, leaving Myka with her hands full of garbage and a mind filled with questions.

 _The End_


End file.
